The White House announced that Congressional Gold Medals will be awarded to the NASA mathematicians represented in the Hollywood film Hidden Figures, based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly. Four African-American women who were employed as human computers were key players at NASA during the “space race” and early space flight.
The medals will go to Katherine Johnson, to Christine Darden, Ph.D., and (posthumously) to Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. These four women contributed in major ways to the advancement of women (and especially African-American women) in the world of science and engineering.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by the U.S. Congress.
President Trump signed the legislation November 8 providing the gold medals to these four trailblazing NASA scientists.
