As we celebrate Black History Month, we must look back and remember the colorful contributions of our Black brothers and sisters in the contemporary world, from notable Canadian rappers like The Weeknd to hockey legend Jerome Iginla, who was born in Edmonton. Before contemporary society and culture, black men and women faced many obstacles before their successes. Often, they were racially discriminated against and treated by many as different. But those things did not let them stumble nor fall, it has shaped them to become society’s figure of strength and resilience. 

One notable figure that many people should recognize is a woman named Katherine Johnson. Katherine was born in 1918—a time when the United States of America was a segregated society. She was born as a black woman who had to face discrimination for her race and gender. Fortunately, this did not stop her from dreams and aspirations. Katherine led a remarkable life. She was one of the three black students to attend West Virginia University. From her early years, Katherine was an outstanding student and her interest in mathematics became evident as she attended high school at the age of 13. She first received her college degree at West Virginia State University and became a mentee of W.W Schieffelin Clayton—the third African-American who held a Ph.D.in Mathematics. After her graduation, she became a public school teacher in a predominantly black school. 

After leaving her teaching career for the graduate program in West Virginia University, she left the program to start a family with his first husband. She returned to teaching as her three children grew up. The turning point of Katherine’s career was in 1952 when an opportunity at the all-black West Area Computing section at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics’ (NACA’s) Langley laboratory where she spent 4 years analyzing mathematical data from flights. Many black women like her were called “computers.” They manually calculated space and air travel before the rise of modern technology. By 1956, she was working on a project about a plane crash when her husband unexpectedly died of cancer.

While working for NACA, Katherine provided some of the mathematical computations on the document “Notes on Space Technology.” This was integral as NACA eventually became NASA. For the “May 1961” mission or the first human space flight, Katherine did the trajectory analysis and co-authored a report for equations on orbital space flight in which will give the landing of a spacecraft specified. She was the first woman to receive credit for a research report.

For her most notable work, Katherine provided her calculations on her own desktop mechanical calculating machine after astronaut John Glenn became wary of the “Friendship 7” mission with the electronic calculating machines—-which were at that time, still inefficient. John even stated that if Katherine thinks it is good, he will be ready to go. The “Friendship 7” mission was a success. 

She was also a part of NASA’s team that calculated the specific time and location of the rocket for the “Apollo 11” mission in 1969. This was the mission that marked history as three men were sent to the Moon, an incredible achievement of humanity. Katherine retired in 1986, she recalled enjoying every single time spent on her career. 

Katherine received the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2015 and was named after a computational research facility in NASA. She passed away in 2020, at the age of 101. Katherine was a brilliant mathematician and was known for her precision and accuracy. All in the while, she was also an active church and choir member who had 11 grandchildren. Before she worked for NACA and was a public school teacher, she worked part time jobs with her first husband to sustain their family’s financial needs. Whilst working at NACA, Katherine had to deal with segregated offices and bathrooms. She had to prove her value and worth to many men and women but she triumphed over her obstacles by her hard work and dedication to her love for mathematics. 

Katherine Johnson was a remarkable woman. She made history for her passion in the field of science and mathematics. This Black History Month, let us celebrate the successes of the black community but acknowledge their journey beforehand to learn from the past—to never forget. We remember the generations of men and women who fought for their rights and freedoms so that our world could become a better place. We must always remember history and how far we have come to keep moving forward, in honor of those who came before us. 

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/langley/katherine-johnson-biography/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katherine-Johnson-mathematician