Vivian Ayers Allen, Phylicia Rashad And Debbie Allen’s Mother, Receives A NASA Honor For Her Contributions To Space Exploration

Sisters Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen are considered national treasures to the culture, so it’s only right that they come from royalty!

The Houston, TX, natives are best known for their contributions to the world of entertainment. Rashad gained notoriety in her role as Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” and went on to serve as a guest lecturer, faculty member, and dean in the arts at Howard University. Her sister, Allen, is known for transforming the choreography world in Hollywood as we know it today as well as having a hand in shows like “Fame,” “A Different World,” and more. 

Recently, their mother, Vivian Ayers Allen, was acknowledged by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for her contributions to the field of space. During a ceremony held in their hometown of Houston on July 19, the organization honored the women who assisted with the Apollo 11 mission, ultimately leading to Neil A. Armstrong’s legendary landing on the moon in 1969, Blavity reports.

The building, formerly known as the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, was renamed the Dorothy Vaughn Center in Honor of Women of Apollo. Throughout the 1960s, women held vital positions at the space center, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy as part of the nation’s successful efforts to explore space. One of those women is Allen and Rashad’s mother, who wrote a poem titled “Hawk,” sharing the relationship between flying into space and freedom. 

“On behalf of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, we are proud to host this historic event as the agency honors the significant contributions women have made to the space industry, particularly trailblazers who persevered against many challenges of their era,” NASA Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche said in an official press release.

Vivian Allen, who is an activist, scholar and Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet, was not only honored for her contributions to space through “Hawk” but NASA also mounted a photo of both her and the poem that will live on a wall located within the space center. In attendance for the ceremony were Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen alongside their brother, Andrew Arthur Allen Jr.

In 2023, Vivian Allen celebrated a monumental year, her 100th birthday.

“This weekend, we had the incredible honor of celebrating our mother, Vivian Ayers Allen, at NASA for being one of the Hidden Figures of the Apollo 11 Space Mission! Our hearts are overflowing with pride and gratitude,” Debbie Allen said in the caption of a post shared to Instagram. “A special thank you to NASA and the director of the Johnson Space Center, Vanessa E. Wyche, for having us.

As previously reported by AFROTECH?, Vivian Allen is in a league of notable Black women who are significant contributors to America’s advancements in space, including Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, the women who inspired the film “Hidden Figures,” starring Taraji P. Henson.