![]() She got special permission to take classes, got good grades, and “became the first African-American female engineer at the laboratory.”Ĭopyright Laura Freeman, 2018, courtesy of HarperCollins. To prepare, Mary needed to take advanced math classes, “but she was not allowed into the white high school where the classes were taught.” Mary didn’t take no for an answer. Mary had her sights set on becoming an engineer, but most of the engineers were men. Mary Jackson was hired at Langley to test model airplanes in wind tunnels. This required more math, more tests, and more computers. Now America and Russia were in competition to build the best airplanes. After the United States won the war, Dorothy stayed on to create better aircraft. At Langley, whites and blacks worked in different buildings and had separate facilities. Today, we use computers to do the kinds of math needed, “but in the 1940s computers were actual people like Dorothy, Mary, Katherine, and Christine.”Ĭopyright Laura Freeman, 2018, courtesy of .Įven though Dorothy was a woman and an African-American in the segregated South, Dorothy did not think her dream of getting a job was impossible. ![]() Developing new airplanes required lots of tests at the Langley Laboratory in Virginia. “Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math… really good.” The United States was involved in World War II, and Dorothy wanted to help the war effort by working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics to make planes faster, stronger, and safer. Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race Written by Margot Lee Shetterly | Illustrated by Laura Freeman Spurred on by recent events and increased activism, this year’s theme is “Press for Progress: a Push for Gender Parity worldwide.” Rallies, performances, and discussions as well as special events and lessons in schools are just some of the ways that International Women’s Day is commemorated. Today’s holiday is celebrated around the world and focuses on the social, economic, cultural, and political accomplishments of women. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |