A Peaceful Revolution
By: Cory Saunders
Tags: Hidden Figures, Peaceful, Segregation, Inequality, Heroes

Photo by Hassan Pasha on Unsplash

I love good movies. I watch them over and over again — each time feeling as if it were the first. A few nights ago, I was scrolling through the guide, seeing if anything good was on at that hour. I came across Hidden Figures. It was only 30 minutes into the movie, so I selected the channel and settled in for my private viewing.

As I watched, I couldn’t help but admire these women even more than I had before. Day after day, we hear pleas for justice and equality. These women experienced the same, but their struggle was when the mountain was higher and the climb more dangerous and challenging.

Each of the three women highlighted in this movie faced different challenges, but in the same environment and similar situations. Each had a dream and worked tirelessly to realize that dream. The road each traveled was challenging and riddled with impediments and dangers, but they overcame and achieved their goals.

Just before the credits, notes came on the screen to highlight all they had accomplished during their lives. I was moved by the victories these women experienced. There is no question they continued to have barriers placed in their way, hardships, and challenges to overcome. I’d seen this movie many times, so what made this time different?

The answer became clear when I switched to the news.

They triumphed and realized their dreams while working within a system designed to keep them down. To keep them suppressed. To keep them from their dreams. Living within the rules placed on them by society, they overcame each obstacle and opened a path that others could follow. They did all this without the need for violence or destruction.

These women showed their worth to everyone around them and did so with kindness and tolerance. They were determined to succeed, even under the constraints placed upon them. They changed their society, working within an unfair system to achieve justice and respect.

The story took place in the 1930s when many viewed women as inferior to men, and many parts of our nation lived in segregation — separate restrooms, separate drinking fountains, separate coffee pots. The movie is an adaptation of the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margo Lee Shetterly. These three women displayed superior knowledge, commitment, and tolerance than their male counterparts at NASA. The accomplishments of these women played an integral role in successfully launching our nation’s space program.

Yes, creative liberties were taken while writing this book and the screen adaptation, but the essence of the story remains. Previously untold stories of success in the face of racism and sexism. Stories that still need to be heard today. These great women showed the nation how we could break through barriers together to realize our dreams.

Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Dorothy Vaughan. Three great Americans. Three heroes whose stories are as relevant today as they were 90 years ago. A peaceful revolution in a time of inequality and injustice.