EXPLORING THE INTERSECTIONALITY BEHIND THE STORY OF HIDDEN FIGURES: THE STRUGGLES OF BLACK WOMEN IN THE NASA ORGANIZATION

Abstract

This study will examine the representation of black female intersectionality in the movie “Hidden Figures.” The film is based on historical facts that recount the challenges of three African-American female mathematicians working for the NASA organization in a period marked by racial discrimination in the United States. Through Kimberlé Crenshaw's approach to intersectionality, this paper attempts to identify how their dual conditions, as members of two categories that are both feminine and black, contribute to forms of oppression that are unique, complex, and singular in expression. The study uses a qualitative descriptive analysis of the characters' representations in the film as well as the social and political contexts that affect their lives. It shows that the injustices inflicted on them are not only gender issues but also issues of race, social class, and broader power structures so that the film not only showcases individual successes but also conveys a message of black women's collective struggle against discrimination. Hopefully, this analysis provides insight into how intersectionality operates in the context of oppression and resistance, and spurs more discussion about the representation of Black women in the media. This study adds to the literature on black feminism and intersectionality with the premise that an equal struggle for equality must involve the interplay of race and gender.