The Space Traders

"The Space Traders" is a science fiction short story by Derrick Bell. As a short story, was published in 1992. However it originated in a different form under the title "The Chronicles of the Space Traders" as part of his 1989 speeches republished twice in law journals in 1989 and 1990. It was republished in the year of its setting in the 2000 edition of Dark Matter. The story was adapted for television in 1994 as part of the anthology Cosmic Slop. On January 1, 2000, extraterrestrials arrive on Earth and offer the United States gold, safe nuclear power, and other technological advances in exchange for all of its Black citizens. They require a decision by January 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Gleason Golightly, a prominent Black conservative, participates in the cabinet's discussion of the proposed trade. Golightly, ordinarily an "Uncle Tom" on racial matters, is adamantly against the trade for moral reasons. The completely White cabinet discounts his moral objections because they believe the trade will fix the United States' practical environmental and economic problems.