Movie: Hidden Figures

This movie is what I needed. You need this movie. This movie is what the United States of America needs right now. Everyone in the United States should definitely see this movie. That was the long and short of my night.

Also, I'm definitely going to read the book Hidden Figures so I can learn more and continue to be inspired by these women and others like them. I've been reading some pretty depressing stuff - WWII history, dystopian fiction, etc. - so it's time for some stories about amazing females. It's a perfect addition to invigorate my reading challenge for 2017. I mean, come on, NASA archivists were involved.

And this movie. 

I am so grateful that I got to watch the pre-screening of "Hidden Figures" tonight with my alma mater - the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I watched it with students and alumni, members of my family and many of my dear friends. It was a packed house and a great night in Dearborn.

"Hidden Figures" follows three awesome women who overcame all kinds of odds and, frankly, bullshit, to succeed at helping build up the NASA program. Katherine Johnson was a human "computer" and overall mathematical powerhouse. Dorothy Vaughan was the boss lady that wasn't paid like a boss, but learned, looked after her team and became THE boss lady supreme. And Mary Jackson, who fought to be able to become an aerospace engineer. 

I took a tally of how many times I teared up: 8. That is pretty high, even for me! This movie really, really moved me. It was a strange juxtaposition of widespread racism and segregation, but still had so much triumph, so much progress. Like, we wanted to reach friggin' space before the Commies and we really came together to do it. Anyway, it was inspiring to watch women influence science and technology, especially black women in the south. 

As I stated at the beginning, everyone should go see this film. The performances were great. It was shot well. It is especially great for families. Also, go to the library and get the book, too.