I know this after watching an interview, if you will with Lewis Carroll. Katherine established new rules around the house and assigned chores to the children, including having their mother's clothes ironed and ready in the morning and having dinner ready when she got home. A couple of kisses, some slow dancing, and an acknowledgement that men of all races can be handsome or "fine.". Alice in wonderland was not a children's story at first. "Even though they were just starting these brand new, very interesting jobs as professional mathematicians, they nonetheless had to abide by the state law, which was that there were segregated work rooms for them, there were segregated bathrooms, and there were segregated cafeterias. Meh, it passed the time. As for Katherine Johnson herself, Shetterly writes that when Katherine started working there, she didn't even realize that the bathrooms at Langley were segregated. "At the time the black women came to work at Langley [in 1943], this was a time of segregation," says Hidden Figures author Margot Lee Shetterly. Unlike in the movie, there were colored bathrooms on the East Side but not in every building. For the record, the movie is about Monarch Programming. As we explored the Hidden Figures true story, we discovered that Dorothy Vaughan became NACA's first black supervisor in 1948, five years before Katherine Johnson started working there. Rate this movie. The closest bathroom was for whites. All rights reserved. But Hidden Figures remains a crowd-pleaser because the main characters, while faced with insidious day-to-day discrimination (segregated bathrooms, offices, libraries, schools), don't endure the kind of horrific violence depicted in Selma. Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) are all brilliant women who've landed jobs as computers at NASA's Langley Research Center (in the segregated West Area Computers division). Where we vicariously explore the cosmos with astronauts, astrophysicists and enthusiasts. No. Katherine Johnson Interview & Hidden Figures Videos. Add your ratingSee all 51 parent reviews. In the Hidden Figures movie (watch the trailer), Jim Parsons' character, Paul Stafford, tells Katherine (Taraji P. Henson) that women don't go to the briefings. Adult women drink in one scene and joke about getting a little tipsy. Broaden your knowledge of the Hidden Figures true story by viewing the Katherine G. Johnson interview and documentary below. I knew it was there, but I didn't feel it." I completely agree, but think that th... First, this is a fabulous movie! The sprint across the campus in the movie might be somewhat of an exaggeration, but finding a bathroom was indeed a point of frustration. where NASA's Langley Research Center is based. These are all the men in Hollywood, politics, business and more accused of sexual assault and harassment since the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Before the days of electronic computers that we're familiar with today, the women hired at NASA to calculate trajectories, the results of wind tunnel tests, etc. But Hidden Figures remains a crowd-pleaser because the main characters, while faced with insidious day-to-day discrimination (segregated bathrooms, offices, libraries, schools), don't endure the kind of horrific violence depicted in Selma. No. Why might filmmakers sometimes choose to alter the facts in movies based on real life? I'm ready to go." Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. They served as "human computers," doing complex mathematics and engineering tasks to help launch the manned spaceflight program -- particularly, sending astronaut John Glenn (Glen Powell) into orbit. Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. "I asked permission to go," says Katherine, "and they said, 'Well, the girls don't usually go,' and I said, 'Well, is there a law?' I suspect the review for ages 10 and up is due to much of the scientific information going over the heads of younger kids. The scene in the movie unfolded in almost exactly the same way it does in real life, with Glenn's request for Katherine taken nearly verbatim from the transcripts. They all studied and worked hard and persevered in fields that few women -- much less women of color -- excelled in at the time. Oof, that was Rotten. Themes include communication, integrity, perseverance, and teamwork. -WHROTV, Yes. In her hometown of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, school for African-Americans normally stopped at the eighth grade for those who could afford to attend. They were essentially human computers. Then watch an interview with Tracy Drain, a current NASA scientist who discusses her journey to NASA and the real-life women who inspired the movie. She calculated trajectories for Alan Shepard's groundbreaking 1961 spaceflight (America's first human in space), she verified the calculations for John Glenn's first American orbit of Earth, she computed the trajectory of Apollo 11's flight to the moon, and she worked on the plan that saved Apollo 13's crew and brought them safely back to Earth. The friendship between the three leads is the heart of the story, but the action favors Katherine, who's working directly with the team that launches Glenn into orbit. He rented a house for the family to stay during the school year and journeyed back and forth to White Sulphur Springs for his job at a hotel. Katherine's father, Joshua, was determined to see his children reach their potential, so he drove the family 120 miles to Institute, West Virginia, where blacks could pursue an education past the eighth grade, through high school, and into college. After she continues to question this unspoken rule, their boss, Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), decides to let her attend the briefing. "There were sections, branches, divisions, and they all went up to a director. In researching the Hidden Figures true story, we learned that Kevin Costner's character, Al Harrison, is based on three different directors at NASA Langley during Katherine Johnson's time at the research facility. Even when electronic computers were first used at NASA, human computers like Katherine Johnson still often performed the calculations by hand to verify the results of their electronic counterparts. And Monae impresses with another memorable supporting turn (she also shines in Moonlight). "You had a mission and you worked on it, and it was important to you to do your job...and play bridge at lunch. Fact-checking the Hidden Figures movie confirmed that John Glenn personally requested that Katherine recheck the electronic computer's calculations for his February 1962 flight aboard the Mercury-Atlas 6 capsule Friendship 7—the NASA mission that concluded with him becoming the first American to orbit the Earth. Inspiring true story of African-American women at NASA. Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Costner |, Copyright © 2021 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media. Powerful true story of African American women at NASA. Then my boss said, 'Let her go.' The movie's minor antagonists include Kirsten Dunst as Mrs. Michael, the head of all the human computers, who acts condescendingly toward Dorothy and her team, and Jim Parsons as task force supervisor Paul Stafford, who's unhappy that his boss wants all his figures checked by a black woman. President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, which prohibited "discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government because of race, creed, color, or national origin. How do they demonstrate perseverance, teamwork, communication, and integrity? This is because the bathrooms for white employees were unmarked and there weren't many colored bathrooms to be seen. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free. There's a little bit of romance (a few kisses, flirty comments, and slow dancing) and a bit of salty language (mostly along the lines of "damn," "hell," and "Jesus Christ" as an exclamation). There were so many people required to make this happen. Spencer is, as usual, spot on as the focused Dorothy, who's determined to make sure her group doesn't lose their jobs once the "real" computers arrive. Prior to NASA, she had worked as a school teacher and a stay-at-home mom. -Space.com. The film also offers a realistic look at the racial tensions of the Civil Rights era (segregated bathrooms, libraries, schools, facilities), and audiences will learn a lot about these pioneering women and what they had to overcome to make their mark at NASA. -NASA, Yes. Hidden Camera Captures Cat's Strangely Hilarious Behavior ... he killed, the memorably named Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle. The star rating reflects overall quality. ", NACA (the precursor to NASA) hired five women in 1935 to be part of their first computer pool at the Langley Research Center. Browse titles with similar subject matter. Katherine proved to be so smart that she skipped several grades, graduating high school at age 14 and from West Virginia State College at 18. Katherine Johnson's first husband, James Francis Goble, died in December 1956 from an inoperable tumor located at the base of his skull. Yes. For her accomplishments, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 24, 2015. When, Movies with Inspiring Black Girls and Women, Movies That Inspire Kids to Change the World, 5 Tips to Make Family Movie Night a Success. His health had been slowly declining for a year and he had spent much of that time in the hospital. The movie shares meanings to that of The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan etc. Mary Jackson, portrayed by Janelle Monáe in the movie, was hired to work at Langley in 1951. She was fascinated with numbers and became a high school freshman by age 10. John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was a United States Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman and politician.He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1962. Like in the movie, she accepted an assignment assisting senior aeronautical research engineer Kazimierz Czarnecki (renamed, Yes. "Colored" is used to identify which restrooms, libraries, and even which coffee pot the African-American women can use. Find more movies that help kids build character. The plot made sense, everything was good, the whole message of the movie is great, this was literally the only movie I'd seen, EVER, where people clapped i... this is a beautiful movie to show to young kids who don’t completely understand sexism and rascism. Thank you for your support. dorothy, mary, and katherine are all amazing role models. Your privacy is important to us. Henson, Spencer, and Monáe's stellar performances propel this feel-good biographical drama that teaches audiences about a little-known aspect of NASA's history. Families can talk about the true story behind Hidden Figures. With determination and intelligence, you can overcome almost any obstacle. -NASA, Yes. -PopularMechanics.com. Audiences may wonder what was fictionalized for the adaptation and whether Glenn was really as open-minded, gracious, and flirtatious as he's portrayed in the movie. I love history and love the fact that it is so empowering to ALL women! "We did get to meet the astronauts," says the real Katherine Johnson. I didn't feel any segregation. Why are those important character strengths? "From then on, any time they were going to compute trajectories, they were given mostly, all of them to my branch, and I did most of the work on those by hand. Not exactly. When Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), director of the Space Task Group, needs someone who can do theoretical math to help NASA with calculations that would outperform the Russians in the Space Race, Katherine is assigned to his team. It is simply not possible." Many Civil Rights-era stories are understandably upsetting, showing the unflinchingly ugly institutional racism that African Americans had to endure. -NASA, "You might get the indication in the movie that these were the only people doing those jobs, when in reality we know they worked in teams, and those teams had other teams," author Margot Shetterly explained. "They weren't as excited as we were, and we just looked at them in awe." was very real. But this referred to the black women who were doing this mathematical work." Join the online community, create your anime and manga list, read reviews, explore the forums, follow news, and so … Based on the nonfiction book by Margot Lee Shetterly, HIDDEN FIGURES is the true story of three African-American women who worked for NASA in the 1950s and '60s. Get full reviews, ratings, and advice delivered weekly to your inbox. He even refers to her as "the girl." He was a mathematician. But I understand you can't make a movie with 300 characters. "There's no protocol for women attending," Stafford states. -Hidden Figures book, Yes. They're disciplined, intelligent women who think outside the box to brainstorm ideas and make themselves indispensable. The women aren't afraid of being the "first" or the "only" (black) women in a room or on a team. What to Watch, Read, and Play While Your Kids Are Stuck Indoors, Common Sense Selections for family entertainment, Check out new Common Sense Selections for games, Teachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews. -Today Show, Yes. When HBO Max entered the streaming wars in 2020, it came armed with a formidable catalogue of films and TV – including, crucially, the films of Studio Ghibli and many of the Criterion Collection’s titles. He had to quit his job as a painter at the Newport News shipyard (he had previously been a chemistry teacher but gave up the job in 1953 when the family moved so that Katherine could take the position at NASA). They're excellent role models, and their story is full of positive messages and themes, including integrity, perseverance, teamwork, and communication. A form of mind control used mostly on children in the early fifties. Before his death, Katherine had promised her husband that she would keep their three adolescent daughters on a path to college. Our ratings are based on child development best practices. Even though much of the racism coming from Katherine's coworkers in the movie seems to be largely made up (in real life she claimed to be treated as a peer), the movie's depiction of state laws regarding the use of separate bathrooms, buses, etc. On their table in the cafeteria was a sign that said 'colored computers,' which sort of sounds like an iMac or something, right, today? And I began attending the briefings." ", "Katherine Johnson saw the movie and she really liked it," said author Margot Shetterly (, Katherine Johnson Interview & Hidden Figures Videos, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. African-American computers had also been put in the segregated west section of the Langley campus and were dubbed the "West Computers. Suggest an update to this review. How do the lessons from the Civil Rights movement apply today? Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly is a book not only about strong women but more. Vaughan was also an advocate and voice for the women in the "West Computers" pool. It took a couple years before she was confronted with her mistake, but she simply ignored the comment and continued to use the white restrooms. had the job title of "computer." ", Yes. Poignant, thought-provoking civil rights tale. No one brought it up again and she refused to enter the colored bathrooms. If you chose to provide an email address, it will only be used to contact you about your comment. Parents need to know that Hidden Figures is based on the inspiring true story of three brilliant African-American women who worked at NASA in the 1950s and '60s as "human computers" -- making calculations and contributions that helped launch the manned spaceflight program. True story of African-Americans in WWII has mature themes. We won't share this comment without your permission. How accurate do you think the movie is? She was not familiar with those buildings and when she asked a group of white women where the bathroom was, they giggled at her and offered no help. See something that needs to be addressed? In simple terms, these were mathematicians who performed computations. They also shine as examples of pioneering working women who had families to take care of, too. Actividades sobre el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana, Which Side of History? Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy are wonderful role models. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. "When John Glenn was to be the first astronaut to go up into the atmosphere and come back, and they wanted him to come back in a special place, and that was what I did, I computed his trajectory," says Katherine Johnson. Humiliated and angry, Mary set off on a time-consuming search for a colored bathroom. We display the minimum age for which content is developmentally appropriate. Not exactly. We're updating our reviews to better highlight authentic stories and accurate, diverse representations. MyAnimeList has got you covered! Strong performances buoy teen-friendly historical drama. Born in 1918, Katherine G. Johnson's impressive intellect was evident from the time she was a child. © 2021 By The Rector And Visitors Of The University Of Virginia No. NACA began recruiting African-American women shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which thrust the U.S. into the war and increased the demand for workers in the defense industry. -NASA, In researching Katherine Johnson's biography, we learned that she was hired in 1953 and retired from NASA in 1986, for a career that spanned approximately 33 years. How could you find out more about the women and people of color who worked for NASA in its early years? Her extraordinary abilities as a mathematician earn her Al Harrison's trust, top-secret clearance, and a chance to be there when key decisions are made. "I didn't feel the segregation at NASA, because everybody there was doing research," says the real Katherine G. Johnson. Hard-nosed supervisor Vivian Mitchell (Kirsten Dunst) is a fictional character created to represent some of the unconscious bias and prejudice of the era. See our. Exciting '80s astronaut movie has cursing, sex. Nissan says new NISMO GT-R is faster and more track-focused than previous models, and the weight has been reduced by 20 kg compared to the 2017 model year NISMO GT-R. ¿Cuánto tiempo frente a las pantallas es adecuado para mis hijos? How are people still discriminated against? The movie's director, Theodore Melfi, was unable to secure the rights to the guy he wanted, so he decided to make Costner's Al Harrison a composite character. -Al Jazeera. The three stars are all fantastic, with Henson clearly enjoying playing genius, widowed mother Katherine. Yes. They said, 'No.' By the end of the movie, Stafford's fictional storyline includes the character having a change of heart, which is emphasized when he brings Katherine a cup of coffee. Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), and Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) were engineers and computers at NASA at a time when both women and African Americans were still widely discriminated against, particularly in segregationist Virginia. In the film, he thwarts every effort Katherine (Taraji P. Henson) makes to get ahead, including reducing her job qualifications to secretarial duty, omitting her byline on official reports, and telling her it's not appropriate for women to attend space program briefings. Over the course of her three decades at NASA, Katherine Johnson's biography includes an impressive list of accomplishments. "Damn," "hell," "bastard," "Jesus Christ" (as an exclamation), and "Negro" are used. How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives, Celebrate the history and culture of the African diaspora and the achievements of people with African roots on Wide Open School, Online Playdates, Game Nights, and Other Ways to Socialize at a Distance, Keeping Kids Motivated for Online Learning, are all brilliant women who've landed jobs as computers at NASA's Langley Research Center (in the segregated West Area Computers division). It is a book about society, struggles, … Then watch an interview with Tracy Drain, a current NASA scientist who discusses her journey to NASA and the real-life women who inspired the movie. The three stars are all fantastic, with Henson clearly enjoying playing genius, widowed mother Katherine.