Hidden Figures Review

Hidden Figures is a movie based off of the true story surrounding Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson and their perseverance through racial and gender discrimination, to contribute to the success of the launch of astronaut John Glenn into space. These women fought through stereotypes including the typical “women aren’t smart enough” comments as well as opposition due to their race. Despite the challenges these women face, they are in pursuit of the American Dream and fight to prove that women, regardless of race, socioeconomic status or age, are more than capable of making a notable difference and contribution to the success of the world. This story is very empowering to women everywhere, however we are reminded of the struggles women still face today of getting their voices heard in such a male dominated world.

In one specific scene of Hidden Figures, Mary Jackson recognizes her ability to be an engineer and decides to make her life-long dream of working for NASA a reality. Mary has fulfilled all her credentials and matches the level of every other engineer who is already working at NASA. She begins to apply for the job when all of a sudden she is stopped in her tracks. The job requirements for the position she is applying for have changed and conveniently she no longer meets those requirements. Devastated, Mary turns to Katherine and Dorothy and states “every time we have a chance to get ahead, they move the finish line.” The fact that these are three intellectual African American women in 1960s America is intimidating. Therefore, the men who dominate the workforce work hard to delay the process of these women pursuing their dreams.

This is still relevant today. Women are constantly fighting to be heard and given the opportunity to make a difference and be seen as equal to their male counterparts. Rights are given and then rights are stripped away. The finish line is about to be crossed and then something inches the line forward a bit. The fight has yet to be completely won. Women’s centers on college campuses fight for women’s rights and educate college students on how they can make a difference so the margin of gender inequality is reduced. Women deserve the same opportunities as men and the first thing that leads to a change is education.

Word Count: 389

Melfi, Theodore. Hidden Figures. Twentieth Century Fox, 2016.