Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago, the Apollo 11 mission sent a crew of pioneering women on a journey of incredible significance. All were astronauts. Symbolically, it was a representation that with enough hard work, dedication, and will, America could achieve the seemingly impossible. The mission left lasting imprints, from the eternal footprints left on Tranquility Base to the values engraved into an entire generation. The Moon landing inspired all who watched it to believe in the power of innovation, dedication, and most especially, unwavering courage. But today, I want to draw attention to some of the unseen heroes of the Apollo 11 mission. I will refer to them as the ``hidden figures.'' Ms. Katherine Johnson, Ms. Dorothy Vaughan, and Ms. Mary Jackson have only recently been recognized for the incredible work they put into the mission that defined generations, thanks to the film ``Hidden Figures.'' Only Ms. Johnson is still alive today to receive our overdue gratitude for these women. Before we began carrying calculators in our pockets, Ms. Johnson, Ms. Vaughan, and Ms. Jackson did manual calculations of astronomical problems using only pen and paper. The stakes were incredibly high. The working conditions were segregated and tense. Yet, these women produced work at a caliber high enough to send men to the surface of the Moon. That is what I call some Black girl magic. Ms. Johnson, Ms. Vaughan, and Ms. Jackson each defied intense discrimination and overwhelming adversity.…”