African American women have long been hidden figures in American society. They’ve been underestimated, unappreciated, and often overlooked. But the film “Hidden Figures” shines a spotlight on the important role that these women played in American history.
The movie tells the true story of three African American women who worked as mathematicians at NASA during the Space Race of the 1960s. These women were instrumental in helping NASA launch its first successful space missions.
Despite the obstacles they faced, these women persevered and made tremendous contributions to science and technology. The film is an inspiring story of determination and achievement. It’s also a reminder of how far we’ve come as a nation, and how much we still have to learn from the hidden figures of our past.
I went to see the film Hidden Figures for my outside event. This documentary recounts the tale of Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, and Katharine Johnson, three amazing black women who were able to break down unbreakable barriers in the late 1950s through early 1970s in the South.
They were able to do this by working at NASA as “human computers”. They computed all of the numbers by hand that would be used in space travel. When electronic computers began to show up, they were able to teach themselves FORTRAN and continue their work at NASA.
The film touches on some difficult topics such as racism and sexism, but it ultimately is a story about three strong women who refused to let anyone tell them what they couldn’t do. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone looking for a inspiring story about women in STEM.
These three incredible women had broken down racial, gender, and professional barriers that had been put in their path. They were able to achieve more than our textbooks ever taught us about America’s race to space. These females were able to surpass the segregation boundaries that prevented them from reaching their full potential in the workplace.
The film also opened my eyes to the struggles that these women had to endure on a daily basis, from being told to use separate bathrooms to unequal pay.
One of the main themes in the film is racism and how it prevented African Americans, especially women, from achieving their full potential. The film does an excellent job of highlighting the various ways in which racism was prevalent during that time period. For example, one scene shows the white male employees getting coffee from a vending machine while the African American female employees are not allowed to use it. This small act highlights the everyday discrimination that these women faced.
The film also touches on the issue of gender inequality. One scene shows Katherine Johnson (played by Taraji P. Henson) being told by her boss that she is not allowed to attend a meeting because it is for “men only.” This scene highlights the way in which women were often treated as second-class citizens during that time period.
Overall, I thought this film was excellent. It was eye-opening and informative, while also being entertaining. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about American history or who wants to see a feel-good movie.
Doing the “impossible,” or what is considered unusual. Despite the fact that it was a positive thing, it also came with difficulties that these women must overcome in order to realize their ambition of having a dream job. This woman had assimilation blues in this film, which they were black women working in a completely white male environment.
They had no friends or people to relate too. They were completely alone in this journey but they did whatever it took to assimilate into the environment and get their dream job. There were a few important scenes that showed how hard it was for them to be where they are, one scene is when Katherine has to run almost a mile just to use the “colored” restroom because if she used the white restroom she would get fired, even though she was doing her job and nothing wrong. This shows just how unimportant they felt, but even through all this they still pushed on. They knew what they wanted and went after no matter what got in their way.
A second scene that was important is when Mary is trying to do the math in her head and she keeps getting the answer wrong, but she refuses to use a calculator because she is “smart enough” to do the math in her head. But after a while, she finally gives in and uses the calculator and gets the right answer. This scene is important because it shows that even though they are brilliant women, they are still human and make mistakes. They are not perfect, but they try their best and that is what matters.
The last scene that I want to discuss is when Katherine finally gets promoted to be an engineer. She goes into her boss’s office to sign the paperwork and he has her sign it in the “ colored” waiting room because he does not want her in his office. Even though she is now an engineer, she is still not good enough to be in the same room as her white male counterparts. This scene shows how even though these women have achieved so much, they are still not seen as equal to their white male colleagues.
Despite all the challenges that these women faced, they still managed to achieve their goals and persevere. They are truly hidden figures who deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments.
Although being able to work at NASA as an engineer or mathematician was a great opportunity, the positions have consequences. Daniel Tatum wrote in his reading, “Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria?” These ladies served as a role model for their race and society by continuing to strive despite the constraints.
Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary were able to be the first of their kind during a time where it was unheard of. They became the pioneers for what others thought was impossible.
The film “Hidden Figures” is based on a true story about three brilliant African-American women working at NASA during the early days of the space program. The movie centers around Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe). These women were human computers who did the math that would launch rockets, and eventually astronauts, into space.
The film itself was spectacular. It was inspiring, heartwarming, and educational. I didn’t know anything about these women prior to watching the movie, and I’m glad I took the time to learn about their incredible story.
One of the things that struck me the most about “Hidden Figures” was the way it depicted racism and sexism in America during the 1960s. As a woman of color, I often feel like I have to work twice as hard as my white counterparts to be seen as equal. This film showed me that this struggle is nothing new. The women in “Hidden Figures” faced racism, sexism, and discrimination on a daily basis. But they didn’t let it stop them from doing their jobs and excelling in their careers.
