Katherine Johnson, played by Taraji P. Henson in 20th Century Fox’s highly-anticipated new film Hidden Figures, is the real life mathematician, physicist and space scientist depicted in the film.

The film is based on the women who profoundly contributed to America’s aeronautics and space programs with the early application of digital electronic computers at NASA.

Today is Women’s Equality Day, (August 23 was Black Women’s Equal Pay Day), a day celebrating women’s rights. It’s also Johnson’s birthday. To honor this remarkable woman, Fox will be making a donation to STEM education for every share of the video.

Watch the compelling story of Katherine Johnson’s journey below, narrated by Taraji P. Henson.

In addition to Johnson, Hidden Figures, tells the story of mathematicians and scientists Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, who were the first African-American women to work for NASA during its formative years. Their impact and work was crucial to the success of the agency’s Mercury and Apollo missions.

In case you’ve missed it, you can watch the trailer for Hidden Figures, in theaters January 13, here.


 Melissa Kimble is the Senior Social Media Manager for the EBONY brand. An advocate for Black Creatives via #blkcreatives, you can connect with her on Twitter at @Melissa_Kimble.