After clapping and crying, being angry,excited and
enamoured in a span of 2 hours, I ultimately left the movie theatre feeling inspired and uplifted. The empowering messages I received from each
amazing portrayal of NASA’s African-American human computers in Hidden Figures were loud, clear
and necessary as hell:
1.
Katherine Johnson (played by Taraji P.Henson), the gifted mathematician, when told no, refused to accept it as an answer. She was
the ultimate example of "leaning in." When you are capable and talented, don’t back
down. And when they try to shut you up,
let your brilliance speak for itself; in other words, I can show you better
than I can tell you. By doing so she went from being ignored to becoming indispensable.
2.
Dorothy Vaughn (played by Octavia Spencer) took self-determination to another level. Not
only did she take the initiative to teach herself about the the first
computers, she mastered them, and then taught her fellow Black women how to use them as well. In doing
so, she too made herself indispensable. More importantly, she pulled her
sistas up with her. Now that is bad
assery.
3.
Mary Jackson (played fabulously by Janelle Monae )was
intelligent and fiery. Being a woman with high aspirations is tough in 2017, I
could only imagine how difficult it was in 1961! With the gender roles issues, work/life
balance and every kind of ism black
women are up against today, it's nothing compared what she
experienced and under far more extreme conditions. But it served as a reminder to us all that
you cannot let other’s fears, misconceptions
and judgments veer you off track, whether they be institutions or people. In her
story, I saw that somebody has to be the first, why not me? Why not you?
This movie was just the nudge I needed to push me me off the cliff of 2016
and into flight of 2017.I’m about to soar... and I'm taking my sistas with me! Thank you ladies, messages received.
"If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."
- Shirley Chisholm
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