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John Glenn, depicted in “Hidden Figures” as a space trailblazer who also gave critical support to pioneering black women at NASA who helped him orbit the earth, was fondly remembered by the cast at the movie’s premiere.
“He’s a hero. John Glenn was always on the right side of history. During a time when these women, because of their gender and the color of their skin, were often times treated like second-class citizens, he extended his hand out, and he trusted women, and women of color, with his life,” said Janelle Monae, one of the film’s stars.
Glenn, a former Democratic U.S. Senator, died last week at the age of 95. Also a former U.S. military pilot in World War II and the Korean War, he became a national hero in 1962 when he succeeded in circling Earth.
“Hidden Figures” tells the story of a trio of African-American mathematicians, also called “computers,” at NASA in the early 1960s who helped get him there.
“Empire” star Taraji P. Henson portrays Katherine Johnson, the woman responsible for the calculations that led to Glenn’s orbit. The other mathematicians are played by Monae and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer.
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source: BlackAmericaWeb.com
