On the eve of the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, Johnson Space Center named Building 12 the Dorothy Vaughan Center and held a grand celebration honoring all the women of Apollo. In addition to being my friend Heather’s grandmother, Ms. Vaughan was the first African-American woman to supervise a group at NACA (which became NASA). She paved the way for an army of women mathematicians who were, in essence, human computers. These women performed calculations that were crucial to the success of the Apollo missions, including Apollo 11, which enabled humans to reach the moon. Their contributions were not widely recognized until the release of the book and movie Hidden Figures in 2016.
Yesterday was full of emotion for me as my past, present, and future collided. As a child (and even still), my admiration for Debbie Allen (Fame) and Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show) runs deep. I was frozen in a major fan girl moment when they entered the auditorium and sat beside us with their charismatic brother Tex and family friend Tom. Mrs. Rashad recited the poem “Hawk,” written by her mother Vivian Ayers Allen in the early 1960s when she regularly contributed to cultural and educational projects with NASA.
When I graduated high school, I dreamed of working as an engineer for NASA. However, by the time I graduated college, funding had declined, and there wasn’t as much energy going into the space program. Today, I work with NASA, in ARMD’s Convergent Aeronautics Solutions, helping them identify future problems worth solving. I met and talked with Vanessa E. Wyche, the Director of JSC, who is the first and only Black woman to lead a NASA center. I was able to share this historical moment with my niece, a rising sophomore in college, who had the chance to hear from Artemis astronaut Christina Koch and gain wisdom from Mrs. Rashad as she joined our private tour. Icing on the cake was my niece left with an open door to intern with NASA.
I felt immense pride yesterday. Proud as a Black woman, proud as an engineer, proud to work with NASA, proud to be connected to the Vaughan family, and proud to be an aunt “lifting others as I climb.” I learned a lot about the space program, Artemis III, the international space station and mission control. I gained insights that can be applied to my current role. I don’t take for granted this tremendous opportunity to see, experience, and hear stories of what happens “behind the scenes.” My life is an honor to live, and I am committed to using my privilege to advance humanity.
#NASA #Apollo #Apollo11 #JSC #WomeninSTEM #health #education #community #equity #EmpactGlobal #CAS
