International Women’s Day – March 8, 2026
The Connection of the Hidden Figures Movie
with Women’s History Month
Hidden Figures, highlighting Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, is a cornerstone of Women’s History Month for revealing how Black women mathematicians overcame intersectional racism and sexism to drive NASA’s success. Their, and many others’, formerly unrecognized contributions redefined the narrative of women in STEM and civil rights.
Click the image below to see the trailer.
Key connections to Women’s History Month:
Challenging Historical Narratives: The story highlights how women were key actors, not sidebars, in the Space Race, challenging the tendency to overlook female contributions in male-dominated fields.
Intersectionality: The women faced the “double burden” of being Black and female in a segregated workplace (Jim Crow laws), requiring them to battle both gender and racial discrimination.
Trailblazers in STEM: Dorothy Vaughan became NASA’s first Black supervisor and an expert in FORTRAN, Katherine Johnson calculated trajectories for the first American orbital flight, and Mary Jackson became NASA’s first Black female engineer.
Lasting Legacy: The film and book brought long-overdue recognition, transforming these women into symbols of empowerment, intellectual achievement, and resilience during Women’s History Month.
Their, and many other “hidden” figures’ stories, serve as a reminder to uncover the contributions of women in all areas of history,
- This article is from Case Western Reserve University
