Rest In Power Katherine Johnson

Hello my readers,

I wish I could come to you guys today with some good news this evening. I know my previous posts have been chalk-full of my woes, and alas today is no exception. I recently discovered that a dear friend and co-worker of mine has passed only a few days ago. Yet, I want to take this chance to celebrate a life that was truly inspirational, and deviate from my usual ramblings. 

Katherine Jhonson became a Mathematician for NACA in 1953 (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, NACA was renamed to NASA some years later). Of the contributions I’ve observed, I witnessed her calculate the trajectories in sending the first man into orbit– and incidentally the first women in space. Yet that is neither here nor there, I’m assuming that Katherine had no idea about my accidental departure from earth. Regardless, I’ve done some research about her work, and discovered that she had also calculated the trajectories that got Apollo 11 to the moon!

All of this sounds incredible today, and attests to Katherine’s skill in mathematics. However working in the 50’s at NACA as a woman of colour in a field dominated by white men is a true display of Katherine’s strength. When I first started working at the facility in Texas, the work rooms, computer labs, bathrooms, lunch rooms —everything— was separated by skin color. Although NACA advertised equality by hiring white women and people of color, Jim Crow laws still penetrated what appeared to be a facility strictly driven by science. As a white woman I had to jump through twice the hoops as the white men did, and Katherine had to work even harder than me. This, combined with the increasing stress from the space race against the Soviet Union made NACA a very stressful place to work at times. Yet, Katherine never buckled under the pressure. She worked twice as hard as anyone in that building. 

The movie Hidden Figures is a testament to her tenacity. I found out about the movie soon after her death was publicized, and I strongly recommend my dear readers to give it a watch. Although her death is heartbreaking, I think it’s important to remember her story, along with the lives of the women who worked closely with her. I would leave you guys with a powerful message about the legacy of Katherine Jhonson, but I found this quote that resonated with me. Current NASA administrator, Jim Birdenstein pronounced:

“Ms Johnson helped our nation enlarge the frontiers of space even as she made huge strides that also opened doors for women and people of colour in the universal human quest to explore space. Her dedication and skill as a mathematician helped put humans on the Moon and before that made it possible for our astronauts to take the first steps in space that we now follow on a journey to Mars.” (qtd. from this article)

Over and out,

B. Swain