And, when, after the war, Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory’s efforts were redirected under NASA from “victory through airpower,” to beating America’s cold war enemies into space, the African-American female “West Computers” were fully integrated into NASA’s workforce.Īlthough many were chronicled in Shetterly’s book, the stories of three African-American women were highlighted - those of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Katherine Goble Johnson.ĭorothy Vaughan born in 1910 was a mathematics prodigy of sorts. The road to equality was paved by the likes of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. “Reduce your household duties! Women who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and do jobs previously filled by men should call the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory,” read one hiring notice.
With most of the eligible men off fighting the war in Europe and Asia, and the incredible “man” power needed at home to support their efforts, hiring women for previous “male-only” positions became a necessity. World War II played a much-needed crucial role in setting the stage for gender and racial equality. And, before reading, I was quite ignorant of how different the color of skin colored these latter women’s experiences. Rather, it was the story of black women in the space race.
Hidden Figures, however, was not another story about women computers in the space race. The book Hidden Figures is the debut work of Margot Lee Shetterly, about the role African-American women mathematicians played in the United States Space race.
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