Despite the results of the recent election, popular culture, especially the arts, are continually celebrating black brilliance.
"Hidden Figures" is about the true story of the female African-American mathematicians who were crucial to the success of the 20th NASA space explorations. Based on the book, "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race" by Margot Lee Shetterly.
Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe are the leading women in the film. Henson is playing Katherine Johnson, the real mathematician, also known as the human computer, whose calculations were crucial to the success of the 20th century space exploration. It is important to note that during those times, it was Jim Crow south which meant the offices were segregated by color, in addition to being separated by gender.
Films such as "Hidden Figures," "Moonlight," "Fences," and "Loving" are showing us that black Americans can be represented as diverse and complex individuals, who have contributed greatly to many of the successes of this country.
Even though it is taking this long for their story to be told, "Hidden Figures" is an amazing story about owning your gifts despite adversity. Many young black Americans will live through the next 4 to 8 years in fear, anger and uncertainty and as race relations and notions of equality are challenged, this film should remind us that your intellectual excellence can't be ignored.
