Katherine G. Johnson is a name you may not have stumbled across when going through school textbooks. This is because Johnson’s accomplishments were concealed from the very beginning. Now thanks to the research of Margot Lee Shetterfly and her book “hidden figures”, Katherine Johnson began to receive the credit she had been denied years before.
The movie of the same name “Hidden Figures” perfectly calls to attention the power of black women coming together. In honor of Black history month, take a look into one of the highly skilled black mathematicians who paved the way for successful black women by breaking boundaries.
Johnson, born in 1918 in Virginia displayed a fascination for numbers at a young age. After graduating Virginia State College at 18 she began working as a teacher and stay-at-home mom. Johnson was the very first African-American woman to desegregate the graduate school at West Virginia University.
Johnson was a NASA mathematician and aerospace technologist from 1953-1986. Her calculations influenced a number of major space shuttle programs. She is known for calculating the trajectory for Glenn’s historic orbit and Alan Shepard, the first American in space.
Not only was Johnson sufficient with her calculations, she also displayed assertiveness which shocked her superiors. At this time it was unheard of for a woman to ask questions.
Despite her immense intelligence and great work ethic, Johnson was still subjected to segregation laws within NASA. Bathrooms and computers were separated by “white” and “colored” making women question whether intellectual ability was valued more over skin color.
Actress Taraji P Henson depicts Katherine Johnson in the Oscar nominated film. In her SAG awards acceptance speech Henson says the film is about unity. Three black women, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson came together to defy odds and play important roles in sending the first U.S astrautant to the moon.
Despite the many challenges these women faced including being black and female in a field dominated by white men, they were able to make lasting impacts on NASA and the world.
Katherine Johnson has been the recipient of several awards and honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama. In 2016 NASA opened a multi-million research facility in Langley to honor Johnson. She is still alive and well and has no plans to slow down anytime soon.
“I like to learn,” Johnson says. “That’s an art and a science. I’m always interested in learning something new.”