In the 1960s, women’s rights were more limited than they are now. Jerrie Cobb wanted to join NASA because she had a passion for aircraft. At that time, women were perceived as “less than” men.  Originally, NASA didn’t employ women. Jerrie Cobb was determined to change that. She went to court to challenge NASA's policy with her colleague, Janey Hart. Their attempt was unsuccessful, but they did not give up. Jerrie Cobb decided to address the world and raise awareness about what was going on. Finally, in 1978, NASA started hiring women!

Jerrie Cobb had courage, perseverance, and vision. She had courage because she took the chance to advocate for women despite the risk of consequences. Jerrie Cobb persevered because she did not give up and kept standing up for what she believed in. She possessed vision since she knew how to make her plan come to life. I admire Jerrie Cobb because she didn’t give up, and believed in achieving her goals. She is a most definitely still a role model to people around the world. She proved that if one person recognizes injustice, one person can change it. She was very heroic. 

For my project, I wanted to portray Jerrie Cobb as a strong woman. I used neutral tones for most of the painting and background. The newspapers have small articles on them that tell the story of what was going on at that time. I wanted to incorporate newspapers because they played a big part in how the news spread in the 1960s. I was excited to use watercolor to give the painting a more realistic look. 

By learning about Jerrie Cobb, I learned that it takes a lot of time and effort to do something very brave. Some people are very brave, but they are unrecognized for it. It proves that there are so many people who have done something heroic but have not been given any credit. My project shows just one of the many unsung heroes in history. Jerrie Cobb helped NASA be more accepting of women. She advocated for women and stood up for what she believed was right. She leads the way for many women activists who want to make a change. Without Jerrie Cobb, who knows where NASA would be today.