Awesome post! As a white Dutchie who knew next to nothing on this topic I had been wondering why on earth NASA would actively seek out black women to do the vital calculations. Figures that it was actually considered boring grind work with little status compared to the engineering. And I didn't know there was such a push for education resulting in so many women getting science and math degrees! Pretty neat. Thanks, I learned something today. :)
As a white girl growing up in the south in the 1950s (we moved "up north" to IL in 1962), I can attest that math and science were not much emphasized in that time and place (at least not until after Sputnik, which precipitated a panic of sorts) and not emphasized at all for girls, even white ones. When I had problems with math in grade school, the attitude was basically, "Oh well, girls aren't supposed/don't need to be that good at math." So I didn't get any special help, and my math deficiencies haunted me all the way to college, where my choice of majors was limited to a handful of fields that didn't have any math prerequisites. (I majored in English, which I enjoyed; but I didn't really have much choice; some other fields I was more attracted to were completely out of my reach because math.)
With that in my background, I'm absolutely in awe of these math genius black women who had to face the same sexist shit I did, with a HUGE heaping helping of racism to go along with it. They are amazing to
Comments 4
Reply
And thanks for the info about the book, I haven't read it but it sounds like I really should! :)
Reply
And I didn't know there was such a push for education resulting in so many women getting science and math degrees! Pretty neat. Thanks, I learned something today. :)
Reply
As a white girl growing up in the south in the 1950s (we moved "up north" to IL in 1962), I can attest that math and science were not much emphasized in that time and place (at least not until after Sputnik, which precipitated a panic of sorts) and not emphasized at all for girls, even white ones. When I had problems with math in grade school, the attitude was basically, "Oh well, girls aren't supposed/don't need to be that good at math." So I didn't get any special help, and my math deficiencies haunted me all the way to college, where my choice of majors was limited to a handful of fields that didn't have any math prerequisites. (I majored in English, which I enjoyed; but I didn't really have much choice; some other fields I was more attracted to were completely out of my reach because math.)
With that in my background, I'm absolutely in awe of these math genius black women who had to face the same sexist shit I did, with a HUGE heaping helping of racism to go along with it. They are amazing to
Reply
Leave a comment