Hidden Figures

In 1954, Dorothy Vaughan secures Katherine’s permanent position (and pay raise) as a member of the Flight Research Division. Katherine works for Henry Pearson who is not a big fan of women in the workplace. Dorothy also wields her power to win a raise for a white colleague at the same time.

 Katherine’s familiarity with higher-level math makes her an important figure in the Flight Research Division. Her confidence leads her to ask the engineers many questions about their work, and they, in turn, enjoy teaching her. Her first assignment is to help find the cause of an accident involving a small Piper propeller plane. Katherine participates in an experiment designed to recreate the circumstances of its crash. Her data leads the team to the conclusion that the plane crossed the flight path of a jet plane that passed through the area half an hour before. Her research catalyzes changes in air traffic regulations mandating minimum distances between flight paths.

Katherine can’t believe her good fortune in getting paid to do math. She also likes her colleagues and feels completely at home at Langley. She ignores the “COLORED” Signs and uses whichever bathroom is closest. She eats lunch at her desk rather than in the segregated cafeteria. She fits in seamlessly with the male engineers around her, and the other men in the Flight Research Division soon accept her as one of them.

Like other middle-class black families, Jimmy and Katherine move out of Newsome Park, buying a house in a World War II-era neighborhood. But in 1955, Jimmy gets sick from a tumor at the base of his skull and takes leave from his job at the shipyard. He is sick for over a year before he dies in 1956, five days before Christmas.

Katherine continues to raise her daughters alone, preparing them for college. She also continues not to be thrown by racism in the workplace, mingling with white and black engineers alike. In January 1957, she goes back to work, 38 years old and a widow, but still a professional pursuing her dream.