Summary Of Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures

Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures documents the plight of black female mathematicians working for NASA who were instrumental in the successful moon landing of 1969. Their accomplishments did not end at that, as Shetterly writes “there was virtually no aspect of twentieth-century defense technology that had not been touched by the hands and minds of female mathematicians.” What makes these women’s stories extraordinary is their resilience in the face of inequality. The story takes place from the 1940’s to around 1970: times when blacks and women were brazenly discriminated against by both their government and a majority of their fellow citizens. In the small town of Hampton, Virginia; Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Christine Martin, and Mary Jackson emerged as figures of triumph and tenacity. The difficulties of these women are tantamount to the modern day challenges faced by primary school teachers in low SES (socioeconomic status) communities. Inequity in state funding

Today’s “hidden figures” are not subjected to poor treatment, but rather, they choose these conditions and endure hardships for a greater purpose, one forgotten by a majority of society: the education of poor children. There is no glamour in the job, no big paycheck at the end of the day. In 2015 President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act, which placed increased emphasis on funding schools with the highest rates of students living in poverty. Because of this act, my sister has been able to update technology in her classroom and there is also better emotional support for the students. This is the first step in reducing inequalities put upon educators in low income areas, which leads to greater possibilities for disadvantaged students. As for the future, we can look to the wisdom of Katherine Johnson, who knew that “once you took the first step, anything was