‘Hidden Figures’ Receives Congressional Gold Medal Honors

On September 18, a formal ceremony took place at Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol, honoring four groundbreaking Black women with Congressional Gold Medals for their invaluable contributions to early space exploration.

The honorees, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Christine Darden, made significant strides as computers, mathematicians, and engineers in the nascent stages of the U.S. space program. Notably, the modern definition of the term “computer” emerged only after their era of work.

Among the group, Christine Darden is the only surviving member. While she watched the ceremony from her home in Connecticut, her family, along with the relatives of the other honorees, accepted the awards on their behalf.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) commenced the ceremony by stating that these women are “giants on whose shoulders all of those astronauts actually stood at the time.” This statement underlined the profound impact these women had on the success of the space program.

The four women faced considerable challenges, including racial and gender discrimination, as they performed complex calculations critical to advancements in supersonic flight and outer space exploration.

During the ceremony, Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, remarked, “They were paid less, received fewer opportunities for advancement, and were not recognized for their contributions.” This acknowledgment highlighted the systemic barriers these women faced throughout their careers.

The story of these impactful women was popularized through the book titled Hidden Figures, released in 2016, which later inspired a film adaptation earning three Academy Award nominations.

Additionally, a fifth Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to honor all women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and NASA from the 1930s through the 1970s. This collective achievement acknowledged the many contributions of countless women in the field.

Andrea Mosie, serving as the Apollo sample lead processor at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, accepted this medal on behalf of these unnamed women, further emphasizing the shared legacy of dedication and perseverance in the pursuit of space exploration.