Some of this is a repeat from what I posted on FB about this topic but some of this content is new as well.
Today I watched "Hidden Figures" on Disney+. I remember the shock of not knowing about these women's important contributions to the US going to space. Even my husband, who attended an HBCU, hadn't heard of them. It was sad that stuff like this was hidden for so long. It wasn't until 2015 that their story was made known and they got credit for their work.
My favorite part of the movie was when Kevin Costner's character started to SEE what these women really deal with and ripped off the colored only bathroom signs and the sign on the coffee pot. He had realized their worth and realized they were all heading toward the same goal and should have whatever they need to accomplish this mission. It was a huge step forward.
Why is this my favorite part? Is it because Kevin Costner is the Great White Savior? NO- he is far from it. Is it because in this moment all changed over night for these women and racism was fixed? NO- not by a long shot. It's because he and the other two main white characters represent types of white people that I can identify with. It was in this moment that everything did change for him though. All white people who become aware of racism and the reality of a different America have a moment like this. I remember mine and it was stirred that memory for me when I watched this character's onscreen. For me, it was in high school, around my junior year (more on that later perhaps).
To go a little further, I want to talk about each of these three characters. I really only know these people by their real names not their characters. Funny how that works- the black actresses were the clear stars of the movie and I really got to know and love their characters yet the white actors, I only know by their real names not their characters. This is part of the beauty of this film. These white characters really did become supporting characters rather than the lead ones so remembering their names wasn't as critical but you can bet I know the women!
Kevin Costner played a white man in charge of the trajectory of these space crafts. He seems to be pretty high on the totem pole but not the very top. He mentioned that some things were out of his hands. He is mission minded almost to the point of hyper focusing. He so wants to beat Russia that he will do just about anything to get there- including letting a black woman in his room, allowing her to attend meetings and have access to anything she needs to allow her to do her job and help them get to space. He doesn't however seem to SEE her for a human being until well into the film. It wasn't until she came back from the restroom across campus dripping wet that he asked her where she goes. She then explained that she has to walk, in heels in rain or shine, 1/2 mile one way to the ONLY colored women's bathroom b/c she isn't allowed to use the others. Then she told him that the others in the room refuse to drink coffee from the same pot as her among other demeaning things. He discovered in that moment that she was telling the truth. He saw her for a human that any human needs these things and without them, she can't help them get to space. So he immediately makes changes to allow her what she needs to get her job done. It wasn't until the end of the movie however that he actually gives her credit for what she has done and allows her to really be in room for a reason other than it was necessary.
Kirsten Dunst is one of my least favorite actresses EVER. I really truly can hardly stand her in anything. However, she did a good job playing this stuck up and unhappy woman in this role. She, like many white people of the past and present, see inequity and even feel it for herself but would rather just go along with everything than make waves and stick her neck out. She really feels that she has good intention and doesn't realize the true hurt she causes to herself and the women of color around her. It wasn't until the bathroom scene between she and Dorothy Vaughn that she realized she had some growing to do. She told Dorothy in the bathroom, after letting her down over and over again throughout the film, that she really didn't have anything against her (people like her). Dorothy replies "I know you think that" and walks away. That was her way of acknowledging how Dunst feels and knowing white people better than they know themselves at times. She let her know in one small sentence that intentions mean nothing if the outcome is hurtful. She let her know that it requires more than that to make a difference and to be a good person.
Lastly, Jim Parson's character was blatantly and outspokenly against a black woman being equal to him. He didn't think this woman could possibly be smart enough to contribute much less worthy of it. He might have had the most growth of all though. At first he wouldn't give her help at all with anything she needed to do her job. He was outspoken about the rules not allowing her to participate or have access to documents and information she needed. He refused to drink after her. Eventually though, he came to see her as a person and came to respect her as evidenced by the coffee he brings her in the end.
A common theme I kept hearing from these white characters was this "that's just the way it is" They were happy or at least content with the status quo and didn't want to make waves to make things better for these black women OR for themselves because they didn't want to face the risks. Isn't that the way we are often? Don't want to make waves or stick our neck out for fear of losing something? These people risked their jobs but sometimes we risk social consequences...being ostracized and losing friends and loved ones for our beliefs and desire for change. I have learned to try to make a change anyway. If someone doesn't want to help or wants to stand in your way, find a new way or a new friend who wants to fight too. The fight for equality affects us ALL...racial, gender, religious etc. We all benefit when we want goodness and acceptance for everyone.
Here is more information about these women and more women than were mentioned in the movie: https://www.biography.com/news/hidden-figures-movie-real-women?fbclid=IwAR34Ss9vd76bQXcksvz1Z3DlXs9XCnO3XtbNF2YNXARV-d4xGeboX4QVghE
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