Black History Month 2025
My Friday Thought: Black History Month - a time to celebrate
It's time to celebrate the amazingly beautiful people that have made contributions that have changed our history. Black History Month is a time to remember those people whose names are too often omitted or not given their full credit because of the colour of their skin.
I wanted to call out someone who has been in many of my lightening talks on the women that shaped IT - Dorothy Vaughan.
For anyone who doesn't know this amazing Black American women, in more recent years, her incredible achievements can be watched (along with some others) in the film: Hidden Figures. If you prefer to read there is the book the film was based off and I would highly recommend the children's version for anyone with little ones.
As someone with white privilege I cannot understand the challenges of intersectionality (Black & female) that people like Dorothy had to deal with. Being great at Maths led Dorothy to become a human computer for NACA (the precursor to NASA) to help with the war effort. So she did complex calculations and many things people today, with phones, tablets, and laptops, take for granted. As with many women of her time the work she undertook was a huge help to the advancement of science, technology, and understanding. She is a true embodiment for 'step by step change'. Like many women of her era, many of the great advancements we have today are due to people like Dorothy.
She epitomises the viewpoint of 'learning over knowing', and this is where my awe with her really grew. Dorothy's forethought for computing led her to teach herself Fortran. In a time where 'teams of equals' where far from reality she 'paved roads' for other Black women, using her teaching skills (oh yes, she had been a maths teacher too) to train others.
If all that wasn't enough she somehow managed to do all that and raise her six children! How did Dorothy deliver outcomes and raise a family of six children? She managed staff, learnt brand new technology, and coped with segregation and discrimination due to her gender and colour?
I have three amazing Black nieces, and an equally fantastic, Black nephew and love being able to talk about the great people (especially women) who have inspired me, that are relatable to them. So in honour of them I am putting this out there in the hope it raises some awareness and makes more people think: who are your hidden figures?
Notes: Black History Month tends to have themes, this year's being 'Standing Firm in Power and Pride"
