Inspired by “Hidden Figures,” 20th Century Fox and Black Girls CODE have teamed to create FutureKatherineJohnsons.com. The website will be built by “the next generation of young women poised to make a difference in our world the same way that Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary have in the upcoming film.”
Written by Allison Schroeder and the film’s director, Theodore Melfi, and based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, “Hidden Figures” “tells the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), the brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.”
Founded in 2011, Black Girls CODE is a not-for-profit organization focused on introducing girls ages seven to 17 from underrepresented communities to the field of technology. Their mission is to “increase the women of color in the digital space and diversify the tech industry.”
“We’re so proud to partner with 20th Century Fox and have our girls participate in the FutureKatherineJohnsons.com website,” Black Girls CODE founder Kimberly Bryant said. “Building a tech future for young women of color across the country not only depends on the work of partners like 20th Century Fox, but it also relies on these girls learning the history of the great trailblazers like Katherine, Dorothy and Mary who came before them and paved the way. By seeing the story of these great women of NASA on the big screen, our girls can see themselves as the future tech leaders and innovators of today and tomorrow.”
This is the second STEM project that Fox has initiated following the intense interest in the movie. Last month, the studio created a scholarship for girls in STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. The winners will receive New York Academy of Sciences STEM skills training materials and up to $200,000 in scholarships and grants, plus a trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, Florida.
Earlier this month, “Hidden Figures” was announced as the 2016 recipient of the Sloan Science in Cinema Prize, “celebrating the depiction of science in a narrative feature film.”
“Hidden Figures” opens in select theaters December 25, and everywhere January 6th, 2017.
