Exploring 'Hidden Figures' - an inspiring movie

Hidden Figures - is in inspiring movie which revolves around the struggle of three Afro-American courageous ladies who worked in NASA (half a century ago) who were called as ‘human computers’. This film can give enough inspiration to the under-privileged youngsters to pursue their dreams. *

Though there were quite a few movies about ‘racial discrimination’ which highlight the sufferings of people due to discrimination, this one is special since it highlights the discrimination in the field of Science & Technology both for their color & gender. The movie brings out - the courage & determination of the three ladies to succeed in their career - in heart-warming manner with apt dialogues. Though there are quite a lot of people who discriminate against color/gender - all along the human history – all over the world, there are also some others with good heart who encourage the suppressed ones, who spot talents, who value people, who value science & technology, who value progress of human kind.

It’s quite amusing now to hear that once upon a time premier science/technology institutes had separate ‘Toilets for Colored’ & ‘Colored Computer’ sections! There were some sections/areas where women cannot work (like some engineering sections). ⸸

 The film’s three lead roles are– one a genius mathematician - Katherine G. Johnson - who can compute like a supercomputer (who could calculate with better accuracy than the computers available in the ‘50s& ‘60s) , ‘Mary Jackson ‘who became the first ‘colored’ lady engineer at NASA and another lady ‘Dorothy Vaughan’ in the computing division who was aspiring to become supervisor – who had the forethought of mastering computer programming language FORTRAN by stealing a book from white only library which will help in her career in the future (and also taught other girls in her community)¥.

The ladies pursue their goals in their career - in spite of humiliations & discouraging atmosphere -with hard work, with never-say-die attitude, asserting themselves in their workplace, contributing significantly in NASA’s success, taking ownership of their work, putting their heart into it and be proud about it. After all, working on Rocket science by no means a mean job. They were living the impossible of their time. They ought to take pride in contributing to send humans to moon (the job ought to be harder unlike going on ‘honeymoon’).

There are 'non-colored'  & male characters too in the movie like Al Harrison - director of Special Task Group with whom Katherine worked, the husband of Mary Jackson, Mary’s mentor Zielinski etc., support the ladies in their ambitions.

There are few impactful scenes in the movie. One is the scene where - after Al Harrison was confronted by Katherine for the inconvenience of running half a mile for finding a ‘colored toilet’, he goes & breaks the toilet board naming it as colored with a hammer & says ‘No more colored restrooms at NASA. We all pee same color’ - touches one’s heart. That’s the courage a leader need to show for changing systems for better world.

 Mary’s mentor at the office - Mr. Zielinski, spotting her talent advices her saying “Mary! a person with an engineer’s mind should be an engineer” igniting her to dream of becoming engineer. When Mary Jackson fights her case for an admission in white only college in the court – to fulfill her dream of becoming an engineer at NASA, she argues with the judge for the necessity to change rules for creating history - like ‘putting a first man on top of rocket to touch stars’ and persuades him to become part of history by his path-breaking judgement which will create the first ‘Negro female engineer in NASA’. Mary’s husband while helping her get ready for her evening college classes, gifts a new mechanical lead pencil, encourages her saying “You will make a fine Engineer. Nobody dare stand in the way of Mary Jackson’s dreams. Myself included”.

 Not standing on the way of someone’s dream – the least one can do for the progress of humankind! That much compassion is expected out of one. Isn’t it too much to expect?

-$-

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 * When I went to a theatre to see the movie in the night two days back, it said 'no show due to lack of quorum'. I rushed to another one nearby where it started though people were few! I should be grateful for them 

 ⸸ This was the situation in India too. I do remember the occasion I had witnessed in an army camp in a desert, where some officers were advising R&D units not to send their women engineers/scientists there, since they will have problems controlling their men!

 ¥ That reminds me of my class topper who used to steal books from our University Library. Guess, reading from stolen books get digested well!