Hidden Figures

Throughout Hidden Figures, Shetterly points to examples of women’s strength and perseverance and how these traits contributed to their success at NASA. She also foregrounds, however, the fact that many moments of growth in the space race took place at the same time that the civil rights movement was working to advocate for racial equality. Considering your overall reading experience, what is the effect of this comparison? To what extent does the text serve as a dual narrative? Utilize text details in supporting your points. It may be helpful to reflect on the following questions in formulating your response:

• What does bringing the narrative of the civil rights movement into the history of the space race show us about American society?
• What can we learn about the effects of World War II on gender and racial dynamics in the United States?
• What understanding might we now have of the views that the space race was a waste of resources?
• Why might the women’s contributions have gone unacknowledged for so long? What conclusions can be drawn in considering examples of women and people of color whose major scientific advances garner attention only decades later?

Teaching Suggestion: With this prompt, students have the opportunity to think critically about these two eras in American history and what might be revealed about American society as a result.