Hidden Figures Trailer Celebrates Black Women in STEM

Last night during the Olympics, a trailer dropped for a movie I hadn’t heard of yet now absolutely must see. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae, Hidden Figures is about a group of black women working for NASA during the early days of the space program.

Based on the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, due out next month, the movie chronicles of the life of Katherine Johnson (Henson). Johnson is the 2015 National Medal of Freedom winner and a retired NASA scientist responsible for calculating the trajectory of the spaceflight for astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space.

Hidden Figures is sure to be an important film. Not only does it feature women in a scientific role, but it specifically revolves around black women in a scientific role. Black women in a scientific role in the 1960s, when such an achievement would have been unheard of. It is not easy to get a job at NASA; only the best and the brightest are good enough, and it’s amazing that for once a film is acknowledging that black women are among them. We’ll get to see the struggles that these women went through – that black women still go through today – and we’ll also get to see what looks to be some very strong female friendships.

I love me a good space movie. I saw Apollo 13 a ridiculous amount of times in theaters (and own the book by Jim Lovell on which the movie was based). I have From the Earth to the Moon on DVD. I’ve watched The Martian on HBO more times than I can count. I’ve read The Astronaut Wives’ Club. I am beyond excited for Hidden Figures because here is a movie that will focus on the science behind the spaceflight and put black women where they belong – in history.

Check out the trailer:

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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