Hampton University’s Spring Commencement will have a real “Hidden Figure” legend, Ms. Katherine Johnson. The 147th Commencement ceremonies took place yesterday at 10 a.m. at Hampton’s University’s Armstrong stadium.
Taraji P. Henson played Katherine Johnson in the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures”, where three African-American women made history by placing the first astronaut, John Glenn, into orbit. Ms. Johnson is a former NASA mathematician who played a major role in putting the first American into space, Alan Shepard. Johnson remembers the astronauts saying “If she says they’re good then I’m ready to go.”
Katherine was called a “human computer” she says, she counted everything from the steps on the church to the number of silverware she washed. She was destined to be successful in life by beginning her freshmen year in high school at 10 years of age to graduating college at 18. At 98 years young, Johnson is the only one out of the three history-making women to see her time at NASA portrayed in theaters. Last year the living legend was honored with a park bench in Downtown Hampton, Virginia at the Virginia Air & Space Center. Before Barack Obama left the White House, he awarded Johnson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Originally blogged on CampusLately
I AM AP ROSE 