AUG - Hidden Figures

August review for Book Riot's Read Harder 2017: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, 2016. [book where all POV's are people of color category]

Sometimes, I take a little liberty with the categories with which I am presented, in order to take advantage of the plethora of books I already have in my collection. This is one of those times. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race is told in the third person, so it is not necessarily one with points of view, per se, but I took it to mean focus, also, and while this book discusses some of the white people of the era, it is primarily centered around the black ones. It is the story of the uncelebrated black women of NASA in the 1960s, the ones who worked tirelessly (and many times without proper acknowledgement or celebration) to push America into the Space Race as a contender. The film centers on three of these women, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson, brought vivaciously to life on the silver screen this year by Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae, respectively. These three women work in West Computing (the historically black section of the computing tasks), although they branch out into their respective specialities. In the film, each woman faces the prejudices and barriers of her job with a stoic outlook and works determinedly to further her career goals.

I am glad the film expanded on these three particular women, as I have always resonated more with historical stories than with memorizing dates and cold-cut facts, and it was an opportunity for me to delve a little deeper into these important historical figures. Seeing how Katherine Johnson made the vital calculations for John Glenn's orbit, how Dorothy Vaughn taught herself Fortran in order to stay current and useful in the increasingly technological age, how Mary Jackson fought to go to school to become one of the first black female engineers of NASA--these windows into their lives showcased a small part of the greater good that black women have contributed to aeronautical science since the Space Race began. The book is incredibly detailed, which is thrilling to have such a plethora of new information, but the film complements it nicely, pulling out three particular stories that bolster the idea strongly.

The film Hidden Figures won Best Fight Against the System at the #MTVAwards this year. I think this is an important award; it was recently added to the Awards, rebranded from categories like Best Fight (movie awards) and Video With A Political Message (VMAs). Hidden Figures' award was presented by Rep. Maxine C. Waters, who made sure the audience knew that everyone has a role in making society better. I really enjoy the awareness that is cropping up with projects like this. Bringing stories like this to light is a huge deal, especially in the current (toxic) political climate, and I hope these stories continue to gain steam and build a platform for their previously unheard voices.

National Coming Out Day

Feminist Apparel

Today, October 11, 2017, is National Coming Out Day. I have a lot of feelings about National Coming Out Day. I have happy feelings because I love seeing the diversity and strength of this community that I have found. I am an out queer woman who is engaged to another woman and has had past relationships with both men and women. I am proud that I can say that and not fear for my job or my personal relationships, but I know that it is not always the case.

I never really "came out" to my parents in any official way. I had broken up with my then-boyfriend of five years, and I just sort of intimated that I had a new crush, and that this one was maybe sorta on a girl. My parents took it in stride, not getting bogged down with "well, what do you call yourself now" or "what has changed to make this a thing," two of the most tired and sad questions anyone can face when they opt for such vulnerability. Because honestly, I didn't know what I was calling myself but I knew that I had always sort of been that way. I had just been conditioned to ride the hetero train and didn't necessarily question the broader implications until recently.

I am incredibly lucky to have had a mind-blowingly supportive family and friend structure who has made this shift in my life not such a big deal. The thing about that is, not everyone has that option. Some people can't come out or won't come out or do not want to come out. The thing about "coming out" is that it assumes that out is the norm, the good, the appropriate place. It reinforces the idea that there is a norm--generally cis and hetero--and if you do not fit that norm, if you are something "other," you are required to disclose that, over and over again, to the world. In Cameron Esposito's Queery podcast this week, she talked to Rebecca Sugar (creator of Steven Universe, the best queer show on TV), who is an out bisexual. Cameron makes the analogy of going to a bagel shop and ordering two bagels, to which the worker responds, heteronormatively, "Oh, takin one home for the boyfriend?" There are two options: One, you are disingenuous and play along, getting through the interaction; or two, you essentially come out to this bagel shop worker even though this information has nothing to do with the completion of your interaction. Because coming out is not just one single thing. As a friend pointed out today, you don't just automatically get a rainbow above your head from then on to denote you as LGBTQIA+ like the Sims. The choice to come out and live authentically is constant and heart-wrenching and complicated. 

I hope some day just being visible will be enough. I hope that some day there wont be an assumed normal. I hope one day that coming out won't be necessary. But for right now, I understand the celebration in those who can.