[yasr_overall_rating]
A team of African-American women provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program’s first successful space missions.
“Hidden Figures” is one of those movies that begs the question, “Why hasn’t this information been revealed sooner?” Based on a true story, director Theodore Melfi, brings together a wealth of talent to inform us about the trio of brilliant African-American women who were responsible for bringing the numbers together to launch astronaut John Glenn into orbit. At a time when the space program was receiving a lot of negative publicity, these three women, Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae), under the supervision of Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), were representing the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Lab at NASA in a division known as West Computers. While research shows there were many more African-American women behind the company’s successful launch programs, Book Author and Researcher Margot Lee Shetterley maintains that it was a difficult process contacting everyone who played a crucial role in crunching numbers for the program’s amazing historical launches. In 1935, this band of women who were human number crunchers, was brought in to ease the burden of number crunching from the men who couldn’t quite explain the failure to come up with the exact calculations for crucial launches. In spite of their proven abilities, they were still met with bias and unfair treatment, and were constantly having to be granted permission to reveal the answers that the entire program grew to depend upon, including the astronauts themselves.
Taraji P. Henson known for the hit role as “Cookie” on Empire and several other successful supporting roles, is amazing as Katherine G. Johnson. In this role, she unashamedly reminds her boss, Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) that he is indeed the boss and would get a lot more accomplished if he started acting like it. This includes getting permission for her to be physically present in the meetings to represent the numbers she has provided and the logic behind them. Octavia Spencer, who is known for her role as Minnie Jackson in “The Help” and several other supporting roles, plays a feisty member of the team who doesn’t stop until she gets the promotion she deserves to be Supervisor of the group. Janelle Monae, the singer who is continuously expanding her horizons as an actress, holds her own as the rebellious Mary Jackson who just calls a spade, a spade. Kevin Costner in his role as Al Harrison, once again proves he has a natural talent for being the underdog who almost always prevails as the risk-taker who tries to make everyone get along together.
The historical significance of this movie is beyond measure as it brings to light the truth behind the talent which brought space programs at NASA international success. While several years overdue, it is necessary to give proper credit where it is due and to expand our knowledge of the power amongst several African-American Women Mathematicians who worked tirelessly while fighting for their own human rights and dignity in the face of unprecedented challenges against their worth. This is a film that can be enjoyed and appreciated by all those interested in space, progress, and the universal need to promote diversity and inclusion.
In theaters now
