"Hidden Figures" is a Story About Hidden Greatness

    There are many people who have taken on the roles of writers in the story of the United States of America. Sadly, the lives of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson are not mentioned when we think about those who have impacted our society. The movie "Hidden Figures," based on true events (and the book by Margot Lee Shetterly) sets out to change that. 
   During a time when it was difficult for women, or people of color to actually be given opportunities to thrive, three African-American women would not allow anyone or anything deter them for what they wanted to do.  These briilliant women were considered geniuses among geniuses at NASA.  Each and every day they battled things inside of work that showed them how much further the world still needed to progress. 
    When I first started to hear about this movie, I became intrigued. Then, the closer we got to the movie's nationwide release date, the more I knew this was a movie I had to see. On January 6th, I had the privelege to finally see if my anticipation for this film was for a good reason, or if it would be a case of another film with great promise that ultimately let us down.
    From the opening credits to end of the movie, my eyes were glue to the screen. The movie talks about the politics of the US in the 60s without being too political. We are able to see the struggle of black people in this country without being forced by the tone of the film to feel empathetic for the characters. No, this was not one of the typical films about African-Americans.

​    The strength and brilliance of these women did not make you feel sorry for them, it made you feel sorry for anyone who tried to stop them. To me, this was an amazing tale of triumph. Taraji P. Henson left all traces of her popular "Empire" character Cookie behind as she transformed into the quiet, yet incredibly strong Katherine G. Johsnon.  Although the movie focused a lot on Katherine (Henson) and her role in helping the United States make it into space, it was very necessary to include the relationship with (and the importance of) Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae).
    Without giving the story away, Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer) fought her way to get to where she deserved to be in NASA, while Jackson (Monae) had to move past her own obstacles to do what was necessary for her to get the proper credit she deserved. Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson were forces beyond anything that could have been imagined. To me, it is an absolute shame it has taken this long for the story of these incredible women to be seen by the masses. It is often said truth is greather than ficiton, "Hidden Figures" is certainly a great example of that. 
    I could go on and on about this movie, but I'll just say I truly am glad we are able to see the story of these women. There are so many great stories of incredible people and this is definetly one of them. This movie truly is a story of hidden greatness and I highly recommend everyone, regardless of age, gender or ethnic background, go see this movie. This story will leave you feeling like you can truly do anything you set your mind to. Please do not wait to see this film, buy your tickets and head out to the theater now.  I promise, you won't regret it.

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