After World War II triggers a series of labor shortages, a division of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory finds itself desperate to hire more than 400 mathematicians. The urgency of the moment forced Langley to reconsider its hiring practices. Gender and race would no longer be a barrier to corporate job opportunities. Among the new hires, Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, Christine Dardon and Mary Jackson are highlighted in Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. The women work as “human computers,” or mathematicians, leading America to one of its most significant aeronautical successes, the moon landing. Although their role in the mission was crucial, their contribution went unrecognized due to their skin color and gender. Through the challenges these women faced because of their race and gender, author Margot Lee Shetterly makes a strong case that the foundation of success is built on recognizing diversity and fostering talent in all. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Hidden Figures reveals the correlation between success and recognition of diversity in the workplace. When the four women start at Langley, they immediately find themselves facing racial and gender injustices from their white male colleagues. Cardboard signs hung on dining room tables and bathrooms saying the area was for "Colored" or "White" only. This was the "Jim Crow" era, and laws in many states created strict segregation by race. However, just because this signage existed did not mean that these women did not find ways to challenge the racist practice. One day, Miriam Mann was frustrated with the humiliating way she was treated because of the color of her skin and “at some point during the war, the colorful computer symbol disappeared in [her] bag and never returned. The segregated office remained, as did the segregated bathrooms, but in the Battle of the West Area Cafeteria, the invisible hand had been forced to concede victory to its small but implacable adversary... Miriam Mann's insistence on sending all 'oblivion's humiliating sign gave her and other women in Western computing just a little more room for dignity and confidence that the laboratory could belong to them too." His rebellious act of removing the sign gave black computers a sense of autonomy. Unfortunately, many other forms of segregation were still in effect, but this was a powerful act of action on the part of these mathematicians. Shetterly's story isn't just about toilets and drinking fountains. The color and gender lines that these women were forced to accept also included “segregated professional recognition.” Mathematicians contributed importantly to the calculations needed to develop the space program, but according to Shetterly they were "rarely rewarded by seeing her name next to his in the final publication." Since the publication was essential for career advancement, the misrepresentation made them immune from any kind of recognition for their work; therefore, consideration for promotion. Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures included such a talented group of mathematicians who, over time, demonstrated their importance to the company. While all the women are very good at what they do, it is Katherine Johnson who emerges as the most indispensable in making the calculations necessary for astronauts and engineers to travel to the moon and back. The only person whose astronaut John Glenn is.