'Hidden Figures' author Margot Lee Shetterly draws on the past to remain optimistic post-election

<p>Author Margot Lee Shetterly related the story of four black NASA engineers during a talk Wednesdaybased on her book "Hidden Figures."</p>

Author Margot Lee Shetterly related the story of four black NASA engineers during a talk Wednesdaybased on her book "Hidden Figures."

Author Margot Lee Shetterly offered lessons in optimism following the results of the presidential election at an event Wednesday. 

Shetterly's talk focused on stories from her book "Hidden Figures," which shares the careers of four female, black National Aeronautics and Space Administration employees during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement. Using the main characters as an example, Shetterly emphasized that courage and hope can provide a path during difficult situations—adding that she has often faced similar discouragement writing her book. 

"The last two years, which was the most intense period of the writing of this book, coincided with the most vulgar, ugly, hateful and disparaging election that I think any of us have ever seen,” Shetterly said. "Why am I bothering to write this book? What impact can it possibly have against what felt like to me like a tidal wave of despair.” 

For encouragement, Shetterly said she spent time thinking about the experiences of her characters, using their wisdom to guide her work. 

"They told me that optimism was a choice, and they made it clear that optimism was my responsibility," she said. "So today, I'm turning to them again, not just for comfort, but also for guidance. And I hope that some of the lessons that they have taught me might also give you a little comfort and also give you some courage to face what may be difficult days ahead.”

By playing key roles in designing many of NASA’s first missions, Shetterly said the characters of her book set a precedent within the scientific community—one that allowed women and members of the black community to take on groundbreaking work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Shetterly explained how a secondary theme of her book was the desegregation of the public education system during the Civil Rights Movement, which required more than 20 years of lawsuits finally building up to the monumental Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case in 1954. 

Those 20 years, she said, demonstrate how true progress often takes time, which she said audience members should keep in mind after Tuesday's election. 

“In every aspect with these women, this is why I think it’s so important to take the long view,” she said.

One of the book's protagonists, aeronautical engineer Katherine Johnson, inspired Shetterly to have an open mindset about other beliefs and backgrounds. This has helped her navigate an election marked by racial and religious divisions, she said.

"I think it's so necessary to look at people with that Katherine Johnson image of `equality and expecting the best in other people, however hard that may be,” she said. "I don't think it's easy, and I don't think everyone will agree with me, but it is something for me personally that makes the progress and gives me the confidence to keep my optimism.”

With an upcoming film adaptation debuting in December, one audience member asked Shatterly whether cinematic changes were fair to the original book. In response, Shatterly said that many of her original themes remain in the screenplay—and that Katherine Johnson and her family were pleased when they were invited for a private viewing. 

Another student asked Shetterly why it took so long for the four women to be recognized as heroes, despite continual efforts by minority groups to identify diversity in the engineering field. 

One of the reasons might be the nature of their classified work, Shetterly replied. She added that the time difference between the 1950s and today has allowed their pioneering roles to become better recognized.

"Sometimes it takes time and distance from a story to really appreciate its impact and to say that this was something that we need to report and we need to make sense of and value,” she said.

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