Hidden Figures Way: Street in front of NASA headquarters renamed for pioneers

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, left, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and Margot Lee Shetterly, author of the book “Hidden Figures,” unveil the “Hidden Figures Way” street sign at a dedication ceremony, Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The designation honors Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and all women who have dedicated their lives to contributing to the space program of the United States. 

(Photo: Joel Kowsky, NASA)

First a book, then a movie, and now NASA’s “Hidden Figures” are being honored with a street outside the government organization’s D.C. headquarters.

The 300 block of E Street SW on Wednesday was officially renamed “Hidden Figures Way” to honor women who, in the words of NASA’s current administrator, “at the time were not celebrated.”

“Hidden Figures” is a 2016 novel written by Margot Lee Shetterly that was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film. Both focus on the lives of three American women – Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – who overcame racial and gender discrimination and “were essential to the success of early spaceflight.”

The sign for the street was unveiled in a ceremony at 3rd and E streets SW.

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz, Ed Markey, John Thune and Bill Nelson in August introduced a bill to rename the street. The D.C. Council introduced a bill in September to rename the street and it was signed in January. Cruz was present for the unveiling, along with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Shetterly and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson.

“Naming this street Hidden Figures Way serves to remind us, and everyone who walks here, who comes to this building, of the standard that was set by these women, with their commitment to science and their embodiment of the values of equality, justice and humanity,” Shetterly said during the ceremony.

“But, let it also remind us of the Hidden Figures way, which is to open our eyes to contribution of the people around us so that their names, too, are the ones that we remember at the end of the story.”

Members of Johnson, Jackson and Vaughan’s families also were present for Wednesday’s ceremony.

“A street sign is a piece of metal, that’s under the wind, sun, rain, snow. But a street sign’s a lot more than that,” Cruz said.

“Because for years, and then decades, and then centuries, when little girls and little boys come to see NASA, they’re going to look up and see that sign, and they’re going to say ‘Hidden Figures? What’s that? What does that mean?’ And that, in turn, is going to prompt a story – a story about the unlimited human potential of all of us.”

 

About Carma Henry 24481 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*