Hidden Figures

Shetterly mentions A. Philip Randolph twice, during key moments 20 years apart. In 1941, he helps convince Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue an executive order banning discrimination in federal agencies and departments. In 1963, he has a large role in the groundbreaking March on Washington that became famous for Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Who was Randolph and how important was he in the civil rights movement? What were the key issues and accomplishments he was responsible for?

This book shows the contributions that many African Americans made in the research behind the space program, but the highest and most public roles at NASA—the astronauts—were still all white. Why were there no Black astronauts in the 1960s, a time when so many other opportunities were opening up for African Americans? The last chapter quickly mentions Ed Dwight, an African American trainee in the space program who many thought was mistreated. Who was he and what was his story? The first space mission by a Black astronaut did not occur until 1983. What were the factors behind this late date?

At the end of the book, when discussing the first Moon landing in 1969, Shetterly notes that some in the African American community thought that the mission was a waste of money when so many of their citizens back home lacked basic needs. How common was this idea in American society? Did others outside the African American community agree? Did any major politicians criticize the mission for this or other reasons? Explore the extent of opposition to the space program in the United States and conclude with your own opinion about whether it was worth the great expense.

This book deals with pioneering employees at NASA. Research a couple of people who were the first of their race and/or gender at another major institution or in another field. (Some possibilities might be the Federal Reserve Bank, a professional sport, or an academic field such as history, anthropology, economics, etc.) Describe their background and explain how they contributed to the institution or discipline. What would have been lost if they were excluded?

Shetterly writes in Chapter 8 that Katherine “always made sure that people knew she was from West Virginia, not Virginia” (70). One reason was that the former was more progressive when it came to race relations. For example, in response to the Supreme Court cases Murray v. Pearson (1936) and Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada (1938), states were required to integrate their graduate school programs or provide alternative (“separate but equal” according to the infamous phrase) programs. West Virginia decided to integrate but Virginia fought it, instead setting up a scholarship fund to send Black graduate students out of state. Why? What factors made up the difference in approaches between the two states? 

Shetterly portrays the four women in the book as confident in their abilities. Describe several key examples that show this confidence. Where did it come from? (If Shetterly explains this, include that information; if not, try to infer from what you know about that person’s life and background.) How did their colleagues respond? Do you think the women would have been as successful as they were if they did not exhibit confidence? Why, or why not? 

Shetterly mentions the “Double V” several times in the book, defining it as “double victory” over democracy’s external enemies (be they the Axis countries in World War II, the Soviets during the Cold War, or any such threat) and internal enemies. The latter means victory over American institutions, laws, social mores, etc. that limit democracy for African Americans. In your view, has this second victory been won? Why, or why not?

Of the two barriers the women in the book faced, racism and sexism, the former is discussed more in terms of the legislation and court cases that helped to prohibit racial discrimination and defeat many of the South’s lingering Jim Crow laws. What are some of the counterparts that helped break down gender discrimination? Analyze some major laws and court decisions of the 1960s and 1970s, when many important changes occurred, and the impact they had on women’s lives and employment opportunities.