Film Shows Importance of Valuing Diversity in Talent

Every now and then there comes along a film which so captures the spirit of the way we were, while also leaving you with hope and a sense of future possibilities for those so long excluded and disenfranchised by institutionalized racism.

Such is the story of three black women living along Hampton Road in Virginia near Langley Air Force Research Center who braved the world of academic mathematics, technological innovation, and space — the newest frontier.

Katherine G. Johnson, a gifted mathematician, co-authored a report defining the trajectory equations for putting a craft into orbit around the Earth, which led to the initial launch of John Glenn’s flight making the U.S. a player in the space race with Russia.

Dorothy Vaughan inherited the mantel of supervisor with its work load — but no title and pay. In spite of this, she demonstrated how to effectively beat a system stacked against you by learning something new and taking the herd along with you, for reinforcement and success.

While, during segregated times, Mary Jackson had to take her case to the courts using persuasive logic, not heated rhetoric, in showing why she should be allowed to be first person of color in a Virginia educational option toward an engineering degree.

These pioneers bravely went where no man or woman had gone before in blazing new trails. It was appreciated that their lives mattered in the context of the nation’s success.

To move forward, the women embraced other women — their heritage, their men, and families — thereby uplifting their communities. It wasn’t just that their story had been hidden from common knowledge or their figures as women weren’t important.  

"Hidden Figures" calls us to understand that mathematics and science are not puffed up with inflammatory talk and an inflated sense of self, for they are for the most part color blind; thereby opening the doors of limitless possibilities to world’s unknown.

This film should be required viewing for all children of color and those who aren’t evolved in their thinking to appreciate that talent comes in all sizes, shapes, genders, and colors.

But like the genie, it needs to be released.

Hurry and catch it for too many films which show a beautiful slice of black life don’t stay on the screen or in theaters too long.

Dr. Ada M. Fisher was the first black woman to serve as the Republican National Committeewoman. She was a candidate for the U.S. Senate from North Carolina, a candidate for U.S. Congress, and a candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives. She is the author of "Common Sense Conservative Prescriptions Solutions for What Ails Us, Book I." For more of her reports, Go Here Now.