Hidden Figures (2016) came out at a time that appeared to be a promising transition from the first African-American president to the first female president, when the political and social tensions in this country were rising heatedly but remained very much hopeful; that not being the case, the film, like many others from recent years—Dear White People (2014), Fences (2016), Moonlight (2016)—serves as a reminder of the perpetual systematic oppression that is the historical backbone this country continues to live on. It is very refreshing to watch empowered black women on the big screen in a Hollywood production, which is rarely the case (maybe Dear White People comes close to it, but even that was an independent film that did not engage with that dialogue specifically). Hidden Figures was both informative and entertaining; it was energizing to witness these women succeed in assisting the space race in the mid-1960s as human computers and somewhat shed a heroic light on stories that oftentimes remain unrecognized. Hidden Figures not only introduces an important conversation on race but also on women in STEM field research. It is interesting to take this in light of recent changes to the Barbie doll collection which now offer Barbie’s in different shapes and sizes (tall/petite/curvy) and advertisements for kids such as the “Princess Machine” or the Verizon video that promote the messy, lab-like, building-block child’s play catered for young girls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQXZ_g2d5ao