Fresh Honors for NASA’s Hidden Figures
By Sophia Ainsworth
On September 18th, 2024, NASA’s own “Hidden Figures” were honored and awarded Congressional Gold Medals.
Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. Do you recognize these names? Maybe you were taught their story in school. Maybe you watched when former President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the pioneering Katherine Johnson in 2015. Or, maybe you’ve seen the 2016 movie adaptation of their stories appropriately titled Hidden Figures. No matter the platform that introduced you to their contributions, or if you are still unfamiliar — they are rightfully regarded as pioneering forces that led America to dominate in the Space Race.
The 1960s were busy times for America socially, economically, and politically. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 had just been passed as America entered the period known as the Second Reconstruction, and the Space Race climaxed in 1961. Despite government intervention in promoting voter equality with the aforementioned legislation, discrimination still littered the South and the majority of America.
The four pioneering Hidden Figures, Johnson, Dr. Darden, Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, worked in Hampton, Virginia, at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Virginia is a Southern state that holds historic importance due to its geographical location, marking it as a border state during the Civil War. This is significant as tensions continued into the 1960s, exemplified by the Jim Crow Laws that were in full effect during their service to NASA. Public facilities such as bathrooms and beverage stations were segregated, and a hierarchical system of superiority placed White coworkers above minorities, often resulting in abusive and dismissive work relationships.
The realities these women faced while performing their tasks were nothing short of dismal. They were viewed as little more than robots meant only to crunch numbers. Despite the systematic oppression they endured, these extraordinary women actualized monumental contributions to NASA and, consequentially, American space intelligence, propelling us forward in the scientific field.
Katherine Johnson was awarded the highest civilian honor in 2015 by former President Barack Obama. She was venerated with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her mathematical calculations, which helped Astronaut John Glenn become the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. In the administration’s own words, Johnson “exhibited exceptional technical leadership, calculating and verifying trajectories that took the first Americans to space and to the moon.” Now, nine years later, Johnson, among her brilliant and innovative peers, has been honored with the Congressional Gold Medal to further applaud her contributions, which had long gone unrecognized.