i3 | February 04, 2022

Policy Guest Blog

From Civil Rights to Space Rights

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is renowned for his extraordinary ability to position brands and nations to succeed in the ever-evolving landscape of tomorrow. As President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the national trade association of the Black Press of America representing 230 black owned newspapers and media companies throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean, he’s on the pulse of what’s happening nationwide and globally. He also is an advisor to Digital Mind State — a multi-dimensional agency that is disrupting the entertainment industry by leveraging blockchain technology. Dr. Chavis is recognized for forecasting everything from politics, cultural trends and technology to climate change and space exploration.

As governments and billionaires are the contestants in the new space race, diversity and inclusion must be in the conversation to benefit all of us. While the new space race is primarily commercial, political competition may not be far behind with China in particular “working to match or exceed U.S. capabilities in space.” Chavis believes in employing the innovative power of people of color and women as a competitive strategy with China.

“I believe that the advances in science and technology in the field of today’s space exploration offer an intergalactic opportunity to advance the cause of freedom and the equality of humanity. That is the reason why we are offering this opinion to stimulate much needed national and global dialogue about the present and future of what I would term as “space rights,” says Dr. Chavis.

Chavis believes in employing the innovative power of people of color and women as a competitive strategy with China.

It is important to note that Tupac Shakur, proclaimed, “You gotta make a change. You see the old way wasn’t working, so it’s on us to do what we gotta do to survive.” The dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. likewise was a global dream of changing the world for the better.

When Microsoft required a top inno-vation keynote speaker; when Al Gore needed an advocate for environmental justice; when the Energy Action Alliance needed someone to chair and lead the group forward across the nation; when the White House needed consultations; when today’s hip-hop generation needs to be inspired and most of all guided, Dr. Chavis is one of the most sought-after business consultants, keynote speakers and mentors. President Joe Biden, recently acknowledged Dr. Chavis for his trailblazing works with the NNPA as well as ensuring that technology is a key focus in news content to its 47 million viewers forging a key partnership with Tech This Out News.

At the forefront of technology, Dr. Chavis joined Audible Reality as its global culture officer. This will help to ensure that Audible Reality exhibits the importance and principle of multicultural inclusion from a global perspective. He is also collaborating with Audible Reality to release exclusive Vibe NFT audio/music experiences which represent elements of his longstanding role for the advocacy of civil rights and the future of advocating for global climate justice.

Dr. Chavis emphasized, “From ‘civil rights’ to ‘space rights’ is more than a cliché or rhetorical slogan. This is a timely call to action. We are digital. We are civil rights. We are space rights. We cannot afford to be excluded from the progress of technologies, the sciences, or the new vistas that are now rapidly opening up in space exploration.”

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