Hidden figures: NASA renames the street after a black mathematician

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NASA

The street outside NASA's headquarters was dubbed "Hidden Figures Way", in tribute to three African-American women whose work helped pave the way for future generations of the space agency .

The name of Washington DC Street is a nod to a book and film about the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson.

They made a significant contribution to spaceflight in the 1960s.

But their successes and difficulties were not widely known until decades later.

• How NASA hired its first "computers" for black women

"Hidden Figures" is to remove our blinkers and recognize the contributions of the invisible people who were present at the beginning of the story, "said Margot Lee Shetterly, author of the book 2016 inspiring Oscar nominated film. gathered in Washington.

"And whose persistence and courage have led us to where we are today."

Ms. Shetterly attended the unveiling of the sign along with each woman's family members.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who co-sponsored a bill to rename the bloc, said he hoped the name would inspire future generations.

"When little girls and little boys come to see NASA, they will look in the air and see this sign," he said.

"This sign is a powerful testimony that anyone who says to a little girl or boy" You can not do something "does not tell the truth.

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NASA

NASA began recruiting "African American" African American women graduates of higher education in the 1940s, but they were victims of racial and sexist discrimination at work.

The street name change will precede the 50th anniversary of the first moonwalk event organized by NASA astronauts on July 20th.

NASA recently announced plans to send the Americans back to the moon by 2024, including the first woman to walk on the moon.

According to the space agency, less than 11% of the more than 500 people who have traveled in the space are women.