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Episode 07: Towards a Just Future: Accessibility as a Practice, Intergenerational Equity, and Ethics in Space
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🎙️ Episode Description
In this episode, Aisha sits down with AJ Link - space law expert, human rights advocate, and outspoken champion for accessibility - to explore what it really means to build an inclusive future, both on Earth and beyond.
From mining ethics to the moon as our cultural ancestor, they tackle some of the space industry’s hardest questions: Should we even be going to space? Who decides? And what happens when capitalism, colonialism, and the cosmos collide?
AJ’s powerful insights challenge the mainstream space narrative and offer a deeper lens through which to view space exploration. This isn’t just about rockets… It's about the soul of humanity. This episode is for anyone who cares about ethics, inclusion, and leaving behind something better than what we inherited.
🔗 Universal Inclusion Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/universal_inclusion/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/universal-inclusion-ui/
Time Stamps / Chapters
00:00 – Welcome & Intro
Meet AJ Link, and why he’s pushing space law to center justice and inclusion.
04:35 – Why Do So Much?
The philosophy behind planting trees for future generations.
06:18 – What Accessibility Really Means
Beyond ramps and restrooms: access as a human right.
09:03 – Don’t Wait for Them to Ask
Why inclusive infrastructure has to be built before it’s needed.
10:38 – Let’s Talk Space Law
What happens if a company violates ethics in space?
15:22 – Should We Even Be Going to Space?
AJ challenges the default narrative of exploration and entitlement.
19:49 – Who Will Really Benefit?
Mining, exploitation, and the myth of shared space wealth.
22:37 – What Does a Just Space Future Look Like?
AJ’s vision for intergenerational equity, and why he’s not sure we’re ready.
28:18 – Respecting Celestial Bodies
Why the Moon isn’t just a rock, and what cultural reverence really looks like.
36:12 – Labor in the Final Frontier
From AI to space mechanics: who’s going to do the dangerous work?
39:15 – The Ethics of Exploration
Humanity’s biggest decisions are being made now - are we even thinking it through?
41:00 – Advice for Aspiring Space Lawyers
You don’t need a JD to advocate for ethical space futures.
43:00 – The Beauty of Space Still Matters
A final reminder of why space moved us in the first place.
👤 Guest Bio
AJ Link is a space law scholar, disability justice advocate, and co-founder of the Palestine Space Institute. As a passionate champion for accessibility and ethics in aerospace, AJ challenges mainstream narratives about who belongs in space and why.
Openly autistic and deeply committed to equity, AJ holds a Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School and a Master of Laws in Air and Space Law from the University of Mississippi. He was the inaugural director of the Center for Air and Space Law Task Force on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Aerospace and currently teaches space law at Howard University.
AJ is also the founding president of the National Disabled Law Students Association, serves on the board of AstroAccess, and collaborates with organizations like Black in Astro, Jus Ad Astra, and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. His work spans policy, education, and grassroots activism—with a vision for a future that’s as just as it is interstellar.
🔗 Guest Links
- Instagram:@knilirabaj
- www.linkedin.com/in/jabarilink
- https://www.newdisabledsouth.org/
- https://jusadastra.org/Home.html
- https://www.blackinastro.com/
- https://astroaccess.org/
- https://autisticadvocacy.org/
- https://www.palestinespace.org/
- https://ndlsa.org/
- https://ndlpa.org/
📄 Transcript
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