Slides for a discussion of the book.

1. Hidden figures
The untold story of the African American
women who helped win the space race
2. Katherine Johnson
“The most recognised of all the NASA
human computers, black or white.
3. Mary Jackson
“The double V”
Refused to let her
children’s choir sing “Pick
a bale of cotton.”
Big victories on small
fronts. Are there similar
examples?
1. Dorothy Vaughan
West Computers
Personal sacrifice for her career,
leaving her young family 100 miles
away and not seeing them for weeks
at a time. Would you?
Margot Lee Shetterly
Daughter of a NASA research scientist
Research fellow The history of women in computing.
“I was as much a product of NASA as the moon
landing.”
Sisterhood. Service.
Solidarity.
Today? In Singapore?

2. Historical context:
Post WW2 – surge in aviation industry.
USA/USSR rivalry = Cold War.
The 1950s. Politics vs reality of US race relations. Jim Crow “Separate but
equal” a persistent reality in Virginia.
1960s. A decade of change.
Feminism “The second wave.”
The contraceptive pill. Role of media– Star Trek.
• Space race
• Role of women
• Civil rights movement

3. End of the Space Race. Redefining a new role for NASA

6. Women and science
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