海角大神

Five years ago, a bestselling book and then an acclaimed film introduced the world to the 鈥淗idden Figures,鈥� a group of Black female mathematicians who played crucial roles at NASA during the Cold War space race. Research scientist Katherine Johnson, whose calculations were critical to major missions, became a hero to millions. Ms. Johnson, a centenarian who died in 2020, wrote about her life for the new memoir 鈥淢y Remarkable Journey,鈥� with help from her two daughters, Joylette Goble Hylick and Katherine Moore. Ms. Hylick spoke with the Monitor recently.

Q:聽What did your mother think when she became famous?

She鈥檇 say, 鈥淚 was just doing my job, and I don鈥檛 know what all this is about.鈥� Those ladies didn鈥檛 do their work to get famous. They did it because they could, because it was challenging, because they felt they were representing our community. And especially because they knew we were in a race against the Russians in the early years of the space program. They had a duty to their country.

Q:聽How did she deal with obstacles like聽racism and sexism?

The barriers she had, the hiccups and trauma that she lived through the course of her entire life? She just seemed never to let them bother her. She would not ignore them, and she didn鈥檛 cower. But she鈥檇 figure out how she could get what she wanted in spite of it. Her attitude was 鈥淥h, well, if I can鈥檛 do it this way, I鈥檒l do it that way.鈥� I was in college during a time where you had lunch-counter demonstrations [against聽segregation]. She didn鈥檛 want us to get involved because we could get hurt and because, as she told me, if you want to work at NASA, you can鈥檛 have a record. Her message was: Do it another way, demonstrate another way.

Q:聽How did she develop her blend of resilience and generosity?

She wasn鈥檛 intimidated, but she also didn鈥檛 look down on people. I give all credit to my granddad. We kept saying we鈥檝e got to write a book because we want people to know him. Granddaddy told her when she was little that 鈥渘obody in this town is better than you are, and you are no better than anybody in this town.鈥� You鈥檝e got too many people out here who鈥檝e got to have someone to look down on. Why? Why would you be more important than me? You breathe, and I breathe. You work, and I work.聽

Q:聽Do you think she found the balance between being aggressive and being assertive?

Yes. She was assertive but not aggressive. She believed that if you鈥檙e aggressive, you won鈥檛 get as far because you鈥檙e going to get a counterreaction. I can鈥檛 remember seeing her just boiling mad unless it was about something somebody did that didn鈥檛 make sense.

Q:聽How did she develop an interest in mathematics and numbers?

They say she started counting on Day 1. She counted everything: the stars, dishes and silverware, steps. She had a fascination with numbers.聽

Q:聽What can we learn from her?

Her philosophies were to be prepared, love what you鈥檙e doing, follow your passion, and do your best. You鈥檇 never hear her say anybody told her that. She just knew it, and she did what she expected us to do. It wasn鈥檛 a teaching thing. It鈥檚 about watching: She understood that kids do what you do quicker than what you say. She also said to find out what it is you鈥檇 like to do. If you work hard at it, it won鈥檛 be a job. She said she never worked a day in her life at NASA. She loved it because as soon as one thing was finished, they would be on to something else.

Q:聽Did she like being a celebrity late in life?

The highlight of her career was meeting President Barack Obama. She鈥檇 always say, 鈥淗e kissed me on my cheek!鈥�

Q:聽Did she want to go to space herself?

[An astronaut friend] was working on a project to go to Mars and asked, 鈥淲ould you like to go with me?鈥� Mom said she would in a heartbeat. This year, Northrop Grumman [an aerospace company] named a spacecraft after her. They put a photo of her on a flag so that when the spacecraft attached to the International Space Station [to provide supplies], the first thing the astronauts would see would be this picture of her. When they asked me what I thought, I cried. She got to go to space anyway!