“I’m so happy this story is being told. I had NO idea.”
These are the exact words I uttered the first time I saw Hidden Figures (at an advanced screening) last year. I laughed, I cried and I got angry, but most of all I left the movie inspired by these amazing women who paved the way for so many.
In case you have not seen it,
“Hidden Figures shares the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three brilliant African-American female mathematicians working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.”
To be completely honest, the past few days have been emotionally draining. Even though I had already seen the movie, I jumped at the chance to see it again with over 500 Dallas public school students, thanks to AT&T.
In an effort to showcase its continued support of STEM education, middle and high school students were treated to a VIP screening of the movie. It warmed my heart to see the kids get excited and have “aha” moments during the movie.
I sat in the theater with the middle schoolers and it tickled me to hear them giggle and say “eww” during the short kissing scenes. Their innocence was so refreshing.
Prior to the movie, Dallas city officials as well as AT&T representatives shared their experiences and encouraged the kids who had an interest in STEM to pursue that path with confidence.
Michelle Smith, Director of PR & U.S Diversity at AT&T, who shared how she was teased for being smart, and a nerd, introduced this limited edition shirt that was created to encourage the kids to embrace their inner blerd (black nerd).
Here’s a short video with a snippet of Michelle’s remarks, as well as remarks from Gary Gadson who is an engineer at AT&T. Gary shared how STEM plays a part in our everyday lives and how his work was also inspired by the amazing women highlighted in the Hidden Figures movie.
Throughout the month of February, which is Black History Month, AT&T will host VIP screenings for students in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Oakland & Chicago. This timing could not be more perfect to highlight this untold story.
If you have not seen Hidden Figures yet, I highly recommend that you do so. It’s a must see!
