S PRING 2017
no one could vote. “I had to load people up
and take them home,” she sighed. “There
were a lot of things that happened.” But,
eventually she and others did get to vote. “I
voted for President Kennedy.”
In the mid ‘60s she moved to Boston and
raised more children, but race relations
were not exactly perfect there either. While
living in Dorchester near Blue Hill Ave, she
says she could feel the tension in the air. “I
can’t explain it to you, but it was there. The
taint was in the air,” said Mrs. Barry. “I was
in Boston when Martin Luther King got shot
and James Brown came to Boston to help
quiet things down. But, it was rough. I was
there (in 1967) when they tore up Blue Hill
Avenue, and when they burned the stores,
people were afraid and they moved out.
The place was destroyed. There was a lot of
racial stuff that went on, just like now. This
P AGE 15
(country) could be the loveliest place to live
in if people just didn’t have so much hate.
If there is one piece of advice that Mrs.
And, it’s not just one race, it’s in every-
Barry would like to pass on it is the im-
body,” said Mrs. Barry.
portance of faith and prayer. “The only
thing we need to do is pray. But, so many
Mrs. Barry says she was very glad to finally people feel like they don’t need to. A few
people can’t carry the whole load,” said
see a black president when President
Obama was elected in 2008. “I was happy. I Mrs. Barry.
really was. I knew it would come. I didn’t
know when, but I knew it would come. “I Mrs. Barry believes there is still much to be
think it went well. It went over smooth.
done. She believes that civil rights have
They always fought against him, but it’s
come a long way but not far enough. But,
alright. The fight is over,” said Mrs. Barry. as for her own life, she looks back on her
As for President Trump, she fears that his
experiences with joy and nostalgia, and not
impulsiveness could spark a conflict or even with regret. She has lived a life fraught with
a full-scale war. But, “this is what they (his adversity, but continues to look to the
supporters) wanted, so this is what they’ve future with hope and optimism.
got. I don’t know. We’re on shaky ground
and shallow water. You can’t swim in
shallow water, and you can’t wa lk on shaky
ground!”
“The Help” by Kathryn Stockett
(Penguin Books)
Inspirational Heroes in “Hidden Figures”
Based on a True Story
Manda Riddick ‘20
Contributor
“Hidden Figures” is based on the
2016 non-fiction book of the same
name written by Margot Lee Shet-
terly. It exceeds expectations in its
portrayal of four African American
women and their role in the effort
to beat Russia in the Space Race.
NASA called upon the women to
be the human computers behind
the Mercury-Atlas 6 launch that
sent John Glenn into orbit around
Earth in 1962. “Hidden Figures” is
directed by Theodore Melfi whose
previous experience directing
pictures like “St. Vincent” from
2014 and the short film “The Bene-
ficiary” from 2008, was helpful
towards making this movie suc-
cessful.
Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Hen-
son), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia
Spencer) and Mary Jackson
(Janelle Monáe) are the women
who become heroes by fighting for
what they believe in, despite stere-
otypical circumstances. These
three women use their intellect to
break the mold that society puts
them in, and successfully put an
American astronaut into space.
The women work in a segregated
office where they are isolated from
the “whites” who have better
working environments. The Afri-
can American office was small and
did not share the same standards. Actress in a Motion Picture, but
was overlooked by the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
However, Spencer did win an
Oscar for Best Supporting Ac-
tress. And, the film was nominated
for Best Picture, losing to
20th Century Fox
“Moonlight.”
Henson, Spencer and Monáe por-
tray the “hidden figures,” shedding
light on an important historical
event in a positive way. Their per-
formances are exquisite, as each
plays their parts, fully embodying
these heroes whose contributions
have previously gone untold. This
event is not well-known, but it
should be. It not only put a man
into orbit, it broke societal expec-
tations in terms of color. The plot is very intriguing as the
temptation for these women to
revolt against the odds and be suc-
cessful in their line of work at
NASA grows as the plot progress-
es. These women embody some-
thing to believe in. As the story
unfolds, the confidence in them
does as well. It is easy to relate to
having a dream and wanting to
pursue it. They show that it is
possible.
The actresses are naturally strong
and powerful women, making
them perfect for their parts. They
went on to win the Screen Actors
Guild Award for Outstanding Per-
formance by a Cast in a Motion
Picture. The undoubtable standout
is Henson. She won the NAACP
Image Award for Outstanding “Hidden Figures” leaves its viewers
on a high note, because it embarks
on a journey with these women
from the beginning, and inspires
empowerment to reach one’s full
potential. The showing of the real
figures at the end of the movie
makes everything seem real and
worth watching again.
“This event is
not well-known,
but it should be.
It not only put a
man into orbit,
it broke societal
expectations in
terms of color.”
Manda Riddick
‘20