The movie Hidden Figures tells
the story of African-American women who
were employed by NASA to perform calculations
during the early days of the U.S.
space program. In those days a “computer”
was a person who computes. The
three main characters were initially
part of a group of segregated computers:
Katherine Johnson, who calculates
the trajectories needed for John
Glenn’s orbital flight to re-enter
the atmosphere and land at the
right spot in the ocean;
Mary Jackson, who overcomes obstacles
to study to be an engineer; and
Dorothy Vaughan, who studies how to
program the new IBM computer (now using
the word “computer” in the modern sense).
They even show a bit of the actual math
(for some of us, it is exciting to see
math being done on screen). There’s not
so much math to deter general audiences
from seeing the movie.
Movies such as this are important
reminders of the evils of segregation,
while also providing hope that
this can be overcome. An organization
facing intense pressure to perform cannot
tolerate discrimination. Segregated
restrooms were hindering the workers’
ability to perform essential calculations.
Once the supervisor realized that there was
an end to the segregated restrooms.
Click here for IMDB information about the movie
……………..
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–Douglas Downing
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