Hidden Figures is a historical film that centers around an overlooked trio of African American women—Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan—who served as mathematicians and engineers for NASA in the 1960s. Without this trio, NASA would not have been able to successfully launch John Glenn to orbit Earth. Both at work and in their personal lives, this trio had to endure segregation and discrimination; nevertheless, they still managed to become major contributors to some achievements of NASA. This trio crossed racial and gender boundaries of the time, and they inspired others to dream big; this can be seen as a theme of Hidden Figures. There are also many lessons that can be learned from this film. For example, these three women encouraged
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Social stratification is defined by the need for society to group people based on the concept of hierarchy. White American are seen to be at the top of the hierarchy; whereas, African Americans are seen to be at the bottom due to poverty and discrimination. This film clearly reflected the concept of social stratification of the African American. As I was studying our book, I read about the black middle class. The book discussed some key differences between the black middle class and the white middle classes; for example, the wage gap. The wage gap of the ‘60s can be seen in the film as Katherine Johnson and her children lived with her mother. Johnson could not afford to own a house. I also read about the Black Family. It is not uncommon for a black mother to take on roles as the mother and father (provider) of her household. In the film, Johnson lived both those roles because her husband was …show more content…
Jackson was faced with the dilemma of attending an all-white school to obtain her engineering degree, so she went to court and convinced the judge to grant her permission to go to the school. Also, Dorothy Vaughan was dealing with Vivian who was reluctant to give Vaughan the position as a supervisor that she deserved. Johnson’s involvement with the space task group, Jackson’s pursue for an engineering degree and Vaughan’s struggle for a deserving job position are all accurate representations of oppression in the ‘60s. Despite their intelligence, these women constantly had to take extraordinary measures to see that they were successful. Segregation--much like gender equality--was very common during this time. African Americans were not able to drink from the same water fountains or read the same books as White Americans. As a result of white privilege, African Americans also had to work harder for what they
Social stratification is defined by the need for society to group people based on the concept of hierarchy. White American are seen to be at the top of the hierarchy; whereas, African Americans are seen to be at the bottom due to poverty and discrimination. This film clearly reflected the concept of social stratification of the African American. As I was studying our book, I read about the black middle class. The book discussed some key differences between the black middle class and the white middle classes; for example, the wage gap. The wage gap of the ‘60s can be seen in the film as Katherine Johnson and her children lived with her mother. Johnson could not afford to own a house. I also read about the Black Family. It is not uncommon for a black mother to take on roles as the mother and father (provider) of her household. In the film, Johnson lived both those roles because her husband was …show more content…
Jackson was faced with the dilemma of attending an all-white school to obtain her engineering degree, so she went to court and convinced the judge to grant her permission to go to the school. Also, Dorothy Vaughan was dealing with Vivian who was reluctant to give Vaughan the position as a supervisor that she deserved. Johnson’s involvement with the space task group, Jackson’s pursue for an engineering degree and Vaughan’s struggle for a deserving job position are all accurate representations of oppression in the ‘60s. Despite their intelligence, these women constantly had to take extraordinary measures to see that they were successful. Segregation--much like gender equality--was very common during this time. African Americans were not able to drink from the same water fountains or read the same books as White Americans. As a result of white privilege, African Americans also had to work harder for what they