The women portrayed in the movie Hidden Figures literally helped us put a man on the moon.

It started with their monumental contributions that enabled Astronaut John Glenn to orbit the earth on Friendship 7 and survive.

How? These three women helped program the large IBM computers so that orbital calculations could accelerate 10,000 fold. They contributed to the engineering of the capsule and calculate and verify the mathematical calculations that enabled the space program to thrive.

I love that at NASA, during this time in the very early 60s, colored bathrooms were eliminated. Outside the gates of NASA – well, that was a different story.

Their influence was during a time of segregation and humiliation.

But they rose above. They were smart. They persisted. They knew numbers better than most men. They prevailed.

I salute these women on achieving some of the most difficult challenges ever faced in the history of the United States. We are all equal. Racism has no place and these women showed that 100 fold.