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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Steven Moss is winning critical acclaim as co-author |
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of a new book, We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the |
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Space Program; and |
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WHEREAS, An associate professor in the English department at |
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Texas State Technical College in Waco, Mr. Moss first explored this |
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subject in his master's thesis, "NASA and Racial Equality in the |
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South, 1961-1968"; several years ago, he met public radio producer |
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Richard Paul, who was pursuing a similar project, and the two men |
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shared their research and turned it into a book, which has just been |
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published by The University of Texas Press; and |
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WHEREAS, The book focuses on the personal stories of 10 |
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African Americans who were associated with the space program, |
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including the first black technician at Cape Canaveral, an engineer |
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who built the first extraterrestrial observatory to be installed on |
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the moon, and a black test pilot who took part in the first round of |
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astronaut training; and |
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WHEREAS, We Could Not Fail has received positive reviews from |
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the New York Times, Booklist, Library Journal, and the BBC World |
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News; Esquire magazine has featured it among its list of "Six Books |
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You Absolutely Can't Miss This May," and the book has also received |
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glowing comments from the director of the Smithsonian National |
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Museum of African American History and Culture and from former NASA |
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astronaut Mae Jemison; and |
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WHEREAS, With this engaging account, Professor Moss shines a |
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long overdue spotlight on a group of individuals who were both civil |
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rights pioneers and contributors to one of the greatest scientific |
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and technological efforts in human history, and he is to be |
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commended for telling this unique story; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Professor Steven Moss on the |
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publication of We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the |
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Space Program and extend to him sincere best wishes for the book's |
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success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Professor Moss as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |