Hidden Figures: The Film That Might Change Hollywood

I’m watching the Olympics last night as Usain Bolt bolted by all his so-called competitors, including Justin Gatling, and right after his win, NBC aired a TV trailer spot for the film Hidden Figures. The movie stars Taraji P. Henson and tells the incredible untold true story of three brilliant African-American women working at NASA in the 1960s where they served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. What most stood out to me was my reaction… it was bizarre to see a prestige period Hollywood movie about accomplished black women at the highest levels. And you know why…? Because Hollywood has fed us a steady diet of slave or ghetto stories (i.e. Precious,The Help, 12 Years A Slave to name just a few). It was about time Hollywood got it together and exposed the successful side as HIDDEN FIGURES shows us. This might be the film to galvanize a new multicultural narrative!