U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson of Shreveport presented the Congressional Medal of Honor to the families of the trailblazing Black women known for their computing and engineering skills who helped lead America in the space race during nearly five decades of anonymity.
Their story was elevated by author Margot Lee Shetterly, whose book “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race” was adapted into a film in 2016.
“Their work proved that our strength as a nation lies in our ability to harness the talents of all of our citizens and to look beyond divisions and into new frontiers where we all work together” Johnson said in presenting Congress’ highest honor Wednesday. “It’s my great honor on behalf of our nation to say thank you.”
Johnson specifically recognized Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Christine Darden, but noted all the women know as “human computers” in the space program through the 1970s.
“These four women and all those who worked at NASA and its predecessor, helped us look both ways to the future we can create in the frontiers that are still ahead and to the people who need our care and attention right here at home,” Johnson said. “The hidden figures helped us venture ahead into the heavens where we learned more about ourselves.”
“This has been a long time coming,” Johnson said. “At a time in America when our nation was divided by color and often by gender, these women dared to step into the fields where they had previously been unwelcome.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said the Hidden Figures “proved an unassailable fact — our diversity is a strength.”
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Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Speaker Mike Johnson of Shreveport honors Hidden Figures of Space Race
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