I'm Jonathan K. Parton, and this is K-Pop.

Dr. Mae Jamison is the author of Find Where The Wind Goes, Moments From My Life, and

What A Life She Has Led.

She was 16 when she went to Stanford University, then in 1992, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Jamison became the first black woman to go to space.

In this conversation recorded during a Washington Post Live event on March 1, Dr. Mae talks

about the obstacles she faced, and how she succeeded in not allowing them to keep her

from literally reaching for the stars.

Hear that, and her advice to today's generation of activists right now.

Good morning, I'm Jonathan K. Parton, opinion writer for the Washington Post.

Welcome to Washington Post Live.

In 1992, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, Dr. Mae Jamison became the first black woman

to go into space.

But her history-making voyage might not have happened.

In her memoir, Find Where The Wind Goes, Moments From My Life, Dr. Mae relives an encounter

with her kindergarten teacher, who asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up.

When Dr. Mae answered, scientists, the teacher encouraged her to become a nurse.

Why was she so determined?

Why did she desire to become a scientist?

Where did it come from?

How did she end up in space?

Well, let's find out.

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