Tell Us What Was Most Memorable About “Hidden Figures” (Part 3)

All of us at NCWIT have been inspired by “Hidden Figures,” and we are still reeling from our celebration of the book and film at the 2017 NCWIT Summit last week! Author Margot Lee Shetterly joined us as a keynote speaker, and we also honored Screenwriter Allison Schroeder with the Reel WiT Award, which recognizes the best portrayal of leading women in tech (e.g., documentary, tv show, film, YouTube, etc.) who serve as role models for girls and women with computing aspirations while disrupting the stereotypes of female ingenuity in technology fields.
As we near the end of our six-month celebration of “Hidden Figures,” we are sharing your thoughts on this inspiring film.
This is the third post in a three-part blog. Be sure to catch up with the previous posts in the series here and here.
How will the story of the women in “Hidden Figures” impact your life tomorrow?
“I’m encouraged by the book and movie because they reminded me of the bigger picture. We are a global society, and women engineers are going to lead us in the future.” – Laurinda
“I often get discouraged because of my own barriers to reaching my goals. I will remember their example, complain less, be persistent, and do more with what I have to work with at hand.” – Stacy
“I can do anything.” – Emily
“I will continue to use this story to show girls that women have ALWAYS played a significant part in the development of innovations.” – Sue
Which scene did you find the most surprising? Why?
“Dorothy Vaughn’s insistence in getting her job done, doing it well, and raising those around her is a kind of dedication that is something I rarely see in my life. And still, her story has been hidden for all this time.” – Emily
Which scene did you find most relatable to you? Why?
“I think the scenes where she kept putting her name on the report. I am fortunate enough to be working with a group of men who do respect me and my opinions and give me the support I need, but it takes time to establish the relationship and earn their respect.” – Tonia
What was your most valuable takeaway from the movie?
“The relationships these women had with each other created a support system to help them endure the vitriol in the environment of the time. Women need to stick together and think of the greater good while on the job, instead of competing with each other. ” – Laurinda
“There is so much history, vital to our national identity, that has been hidden. We have the ability and the responsibility to constantly dig deeper into our past to understand the problems faced today, such as the gender and minority gap in STEM.” – Emily
“Added to the challenges of the math and science required for space exploration, the women of ‘Hidden Figures’ had to deal with segregation and discrimination on a daily basis.” – Sharon
“As a high school girl aspiring to pursue both mathematics and computer science, I really appreciated how the movie showed the multiple paths (mathematician, programmer, engineer) that women of color took to be ‘Hidden Figures’ in NASA.” – Catherine
“My most valuable takeaway from the movie was that girls of our age will be far more inspired than girls of that day. Though we are still not treated as equals, we are here to change the world, and we are breaking down barriers every single day.” – Tori
“I watched it with my teen daughter, who still believes that she is not good at math and wants nothing to do with science. Her admiration of what these women did, given the challenges they faced, was priceless.” – Hagit