Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA, is being recognized for her leadership in advancing diversity and her technical contributions to the agency that is naming its Washington D.C. headquarters for her. This was formally announced this past week by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. Jackson who was portrayed in the movie “Hidden Figures” passed away in 2005.
“Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space. Mary never accepted the status quo, she helped break barriers and open opportunities for African Americans and women in the field of engineering and technology,” said NASA Administrator Bridenstine.
With this step NASA is broadening its recognition of the diversity of individuals in their workforce who over the years made many contributions to the agency’s success. This follows its actions a year ago through its Unity Campaign to better engage within its community to make such recognitions as part of its overall goal to further diversity.
“Hidden no more, we will continue to recognize the contributions of women, African Americans, and people of all backgrounds who have helped construct NASA’s successful history to explore,” Bridenstine said.
Jackson’s storied life reflects the many who struggled under segregation, particularly those of great talent who contributed to organizations and institutions who were unwilling to recognize them at that time. Jackson began her career in NASA’s segregated West Area Computing Unit of the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia and went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers.
Jackson was a mathematician and aerospace engineer, an outstanding achievement in view of the barriers in place during segregation that were intended to disenfranchise people of color. Jackson’s attempt to further her education in line with possible career opportunities highlights such barriers. She received an offer to work in the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel where she received hands-on experience, leading a supervisor to suggest a training program that would give Jackson the opportunity to earn a promotion from mathematician to engineer. The classes were held at a then-segregated high school, so she could only attend if special permission was given by her white peers in the classroom.
The movie was based on the 2016 Margot Lee Shetterly book “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.” Prior to this recent naming, a portion of E Street SW in front of NASA Headquarters was renamed Hidden Figures Way due to bipartisan legislation in 2019, the same year she was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for her leadership in advancing diversity and promoting inclusion.
“We are honored that NASA continues to celebrate the legacy of our mother and grandmother Mary W. Jackson,” said, Carolyn Lewis, Mary’s daughter. “She was a scientist, humanitarian, wife, mother, and trailblazer who paved the way for thousands of others to succeed, not only at NASA, but throughout this nation.”
