In celebration of Black History Month, the City of Portage hosted a special speaker, Dr. Sian Proctor, at the Air Zoo on Saturday, February 3, 2024. Dr. Proctor is a geoscientist, space artist, and astronaut. She was the mission pilot for SpaceX Inspiration4, the first all-civilian orbital mission. She is the first African American woman to pilot a spacecraft, the first African American commercial astronaut, and the first African American to paint in space. She is the CEO of Space2inspire and founder of the nonprofit Proctor Foundation for Art and Science. Civilian astronaut and Renaissance woman Dr. Sian Proctor encourages individuals to use their unique, one-of-a-kind strengths to inspire through her motto, Space2inspire. Her poetic, whimsical book Space2inspire: The Art of Inspiration follows the creative journey of Dr. Proctor during her SpaceX Inspiration4 mission. A question-and-answer session and book signing followed Dr. Proctor's presentation.
Watch the 2024 Black History Month Presentation with Dr. Sian Proctor and previous presentations at portagemi.gov/775/Black-History-Month