Guest speaker Margot Lee Shetterly, author of “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race,” spoke at BC on March 5 about her book and everything that came with the research. The event, directed by Philosophy Professor Reggie Williams, was held at the Leven center and drew a big crowd.
The film “Hidden Figures” was released in 2016, the same year as the book, and was a massive hit at the box office. While the book was a huge accomplishment in getting the story out there, Shetterly asked the big question, “Why haven’t we heard this story before?” These women had essential jobs and tasks, such as sending a man to the moon and, even before that, the need for mathematicians during World War 2. There were thousands of women in NASA computing while men were analyzing, playing an equally important role in their mission yet not getting the recognition they deserved.
Shetterly made it clear that these women had a passion for math. They consistently gave their best of themselves to their country, community, and family during a time when the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing, where they faced the humiliations of segregation and limited opportunities.
During her speech, Shetterly made it clear that there were many questions to be asked, one of which was, “Will it be possible to make a full and honest evaluation of the most difficult and painful parts of our national history and still be guided by the most beautiful aspects of our founding values?”
These ladies were faced with adversity every step of the way, but they were resilient and never allowed differences in people to stop them and could that be said to be the case now and in the future.
They were also fantastic, loving people in their community, and math wasn’t all that was made of them, Shetterly said. They would tutor students in math and science and raise money for scholarships. Mary Jackson encouraged her colleagues to speak to her Girl Scout troupe or students she tutored. Dorothy Vaughn was an accomplished pianist before she worked at NASA. She also taught at a high school in Farmersville, Virginia. These women were impactful figures for their community, making significant contributions and inspiring others.