Hidden Figures

This chapter begins with a description of the area around Langley, including Newport News and Hampton. As Shetterly writes, “Dorothy Vaughan entered the Greyhound bus in one America and disembarked in another, no less anxious, hopeful, and excited than if she were an immigrant arriving from foreign shores” (27). The region was bustling with activity and bursting with in-migrants like Dorothy—people from around the nation coming to do their part in the war effort. The population increased greatly in only a few years and many industries had three 8-hour shifts a day, working around the clock. Much of the work was now done by women because men were off fighting.

Shetterly describes the living conditions of Hampton, where Dorothy rented a room in a boarding house, focusing on relations between Black and white residents. She gives some background about the interplay of the two races throughout the country over time, and how the war did or did not change things. Black citizens across the country were hoping for a twofold victory, known as the “Double V,” that brought more equality for them at home even as they fought for democracy overseas.