After weeks of anticipation and Internet-scouring, I finally left the kids with their dad, fixed my ‘fro, and went on a girl-movie-date with my sis-in-law to see “Hidden Figures“. I have to say, I was both excited and a bit apprehensive. There comes a point when, as a Black or minority person, you get slightly weary of watching anything reminiscent of your community’s suffering and challenges. Yet, at the same time, you have this yearning at the pit of your stomach to honor the stories of those who went before you and make them part of your own…
And Hidden Figures doesn’t just succeed at making the stories of three pioneering African-American whose work for NASA contributed in several historic space missions part of my own. It also accomplished the amazing feat of successfully telling many of our own untold stories…
The movie recounts the stories of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, who in the 1950s, literally calculated by hand the launch of astronaut John Glenn’s trajectory into space. Based on the book of the same name by author Margot Lee Shetterly, it tells of extraordinary willpower by amazing women in the midst of a gut-wrenching struggle.
As a result of Virginia’s strict segregation laws at the time, African-American women computers worked in their own “colored” building in the reputable Langley Center. At the time, the U.S. was desperate to beat the Soviet Union in the “race to space”. It’s in this highly heated context that Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), a mathematics genius in her own right, gets assigned to the illustrious task group in charge of sending the first American man to space. As the sole Black woman in the room, she faces blatant discrimination, even as she produces work of outstanding quality.
On the other hand, Mary Jackson, played by Janelle Monae, is one feisty sister battling racist bureaucratic hurdles to become the first NASA woman engineer. Dorothy, played by the fabulous Octavia Butler, is a dedicated, generous to a fault, group leader fighting for an overdue promotion, while facing the risk of her entire team being replaced by a new IBM machine. Against all odds, Dorothy teaches herself the art of programming, and becomes NASA’s first African-American manager.
There were many moments in the movie that grabbed me by the throat, threatening to make me break into the “ugly cry” all over my over-buttered popcorn. But it’s three of these moments that hugged my Black working woman’s conscience tighter than spandex leggings on a diet cheat day:
That moment when Katherine finally discloses to her boss (played by an ever-charming Kevin Costner) that her long, daily absences are due to her having to run over 4o minutes across the Langley Center to the only “colored” bathroom, and stands up for herself by denouncing the blatant racism around her, including the dingy coffee pitcher with a “colored” label on it reserved for her;
That time when Mary goes to court to request the right to attend night classes at the local segregated school to become an engineer, arguing to the judge that just like he had been the “first” in his family to become a judge, she was looking to become the “first” NASA woman engineer too ;
Finally, that moment when Dorothy expresses her ambivalent feelings about Katherine’s successful assignment to the task group, outlining that despite the fact that “upward movement for one of us is movement for all of us”, discrimination still remains the norm for many others.
Hidden Figures tells the story of real women who are not just brilliant, but also extremely generous with their intelligence, their time, and their patience, to serve a common, patriotic goal. It tells the story of women like you and I, fighting to get ahead against the established status quo. Women who give much, sometimes too much, even when there’s not much left of themselves to give away. Women who stand up for themselves and their sisters, even when it means putting themselves and their careers on the line. Women who watch these sisters rise up, and celebrate while wondering when their turn will be.
I was weary of watching yet another movie rooted in racism and discrimination, but was glad that Hidden Figures turned out to be a heart-soothing, light, and even hopeful affair. While I have as much of a clue about aeronautical formulas as I do about neurosurgery, the film was rooted in such a human spirit of connection that it didn’t matter. What it wasn’t trying to do was romanticize the concept of racism and pretend that it’s been solved. Instead, it was a realistic take on a tough subject matter that needs to be talked about more…
All in all, Hidden Figures lends a powerful lens into what it means to be a talented woman shut out of opportunities on the basis of the color of your skin. But it also sheds an all-too-important light on the impact of sisterhood, community, and the sheer power of having the audacity to believe more for yourself…
Enjoy the trailer below:
What did you think of the movie? Please share your insights in the comments below…
In this show, we’re all about transitions…From the current climate of world transitions, to career, business and life transitions in general as we start 2017.
What you’ll learn/listen to/enjoy in this episode:
How TCS is growing with a new YouTube channel, Facebook community, and upcoming Twitter chats;
How transitions empower us to be our best selves;
7 tips to tackle our upcoming career and business transitions.
Thanks so much for tuning in and listening to this week’s episode! If you enjoyed this week’s episode, please share it by using the social media at the bottom of this post!
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New year, new goals, right? If changing careers or starting a new career is on your vision board this year, it might not be as difficult as you may think. Challenging, yes? But definitely not impossible….
Here are a few ways to get started to follow a new career path this year:
Read More
Yes, as in reading more words…
I know as a busy working mom, it can be a tall order to find ANY time to sit somewhere, anywhere, let alone with a book filled with words to read… But even if your intellectual side has been on lockdown mode after the holidays, or just because alone time has become a totally foreign concept in your world, you can still fit some reading knowledge in, especially around the career you desire to pursue…
Consult some industry-specific newsletters such as Broadsheet, The List, the Ann Friedman newsletter. Open Campus also has numerous courses in management, leadership and entrepreneurship, as well as in Marketing, Finance, and Design.
Follow influential people in your desired field
I started out writing online by following entrepreneurs and influencers whose work I admired. And I still do, actually more than ever…
There’s nothing like learning from people who’ve been there, done that, and have been successful in the field you’re looking to transition in. Make a list of the influential people in your desired field, and collect their social media references. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or your any of your favorite social media channels. Even better, reach out to them and ask them for advice…
Seek Mentors
Speaking of reaching out to people in your desired field, you can go one step further and ask them to be your mentors. But wait, how do I reach out to people who don’t know me from a hole in the wall and ask them to be my mentors?
You’d think it would be nearly impossible…Yet reaching out to potential mentors can get better results than you may anticipate. So send an email, a quick message on Twitter and Facebook, and politely ask if they would be willing to be your mentors. Yes, you may get some resounding No’s, or sometimes no answers at all, but you may also get some sweet Yeses…It did happen to me, and I would never have had the opportunity to benefit from some great connections had I not taken the plunge…
Interview at Your Dream Companies
What if you’re not quite ready to jump ship just yet? Even if you’re thinking of switching careers, you may still like your current job…
This is when you may be able to seek and schedule informational interviews. Keep in mind that informational interviews are NOT job interviews. These are opportunities to literally pick an executive’s brain. You could gain insight on your resume, experience and network.
Use these to learn as much as possible about this new industry, and how influential people got to where they are.
Develop Your Expertise
In learning you teach. And in teaching you will learn. Phil Collins.
I’ve learnt only on that as counter-intuitive as it may sound, we learn best by teaching. Because teaching forces you to learn and stay up-to-date with what you already know. It also makes you accountable to keep growing and expanding so you in turn can help others grow and expand.
So if you’re looking into a new career this year, consider teaching what you’re learning along the way. A good way to do this is to start a blog, or start sharing some of your lessons and journey through your social media channels. Find ways to enrich others with your purpose, and you will find yourself growing as well.
Go Back to School.
Have you considered going back to school? If taking formal classes with a formal schedule isn’t in the cards for you this year, why not enroll in online classes? There are loads of available online classes that you can learn from for free or just the cost of a kale smoothie (still on my New Year health kick people)…
I mean, you can get an entire MBA in one course for 10 bucks, and a bunch of other classes on Udemy for just about the same price.
Volunteer in your desired field.
Last but not least, volunteering in your desired field can get you a (pretty) foot in the door as well. Even if you already have a full-time job, a couple of kids, and some seriously late laundry, you can devote a couple of hours a week to volunteer.
This could be as simple as offering some online services, like blogging or writing. Or offering to run classes at the local gym after-hours to build your career in fitness. Or even dedicating your Saturday mornings to become a tax specialist.
Look for opportunities to offer free services, time or energy to the industry you’re looking to transition into. Not only will it provide you with real-life experience, but it may also very well attract the attention of people who may be able to help you crack that new career door open…
Are you considering switching careers this year? What tips would you add to this list?
After turning the last page of “Jump: Take the leap of faith to achieve your life of abundance” by Steve Harvey, I had to pace around the house for a few minutes. It’s because the powerful message contained in this poignant guide by the New York Times best-selling author can hardly leave you without reaction…
The book was actually born on January 13, 2016, when the inspirational mogul gave a six-minute inpromptu speech at the end of his Family Feud show which went viral, garnering over 58 million views worldwide. In his very spontaneous remarks back then, Harvey made a compelling point: that we’re all born with special gifts, and in order to be successful, we need to find these and operate in them.
Jump by Steve Harvey – Photo credit: amazon.com
“When you see people in life … when you’re standing on the cliff of life … and you see people soaring by. You see people soaring, going to exotic places, you hear about them doing wonderful things … maybe you look up the street and your neighbor just gets a new car every year, every two years? You go, ‘How is he doing that?’
“Have you ever thought, ‘Maybe this person right here has identified their gift and is living in their gift?’” Steve Harvey, Jump.
From this viral six-minute speech, came this amazing book, and the astounding #Jumpchallenge and revolution that followed. And let me tell you, it’s not just because comedian and TV host Steve Harvey can literally turn anything into a source of inspiration (and laughs). It’s because in this book, and in that short viral speech, he hit a nerve. A sensitive, tender nerve in so many people out there…
Let’s be honest, how many people have you heard talk about their jobs or lives with undeterred passion and commitment? Not many…And it’s not to throw shade around, but the reality is many, if not most people, are not only not living the life of their dreams, but seriously settling for so much less than what they’re capable of…
I remember sitting around with my bestie in Senegal at all hours of the night, plotting our futures. Talking about how we’d change the world one day. How much we would travel, and how famous/influential we’d be. I was going to be wealthy, live in a condo and travel the world. She would be a renowned doctor saving lives all over…
You know you’ve done it too..Dreaming out loud about the life you had always imagined, and then life, the “real” one, kinda happened, bills started piling up, kids came along,etc..,And before you know it, you had succeeded in silencing the natural urges/voices in your head, if only temporarily…
Reading Steve Harvey’s book will not only remind you of those voices/dreams/aspirations. It will actually awaken them, louder than ever…
It was so humbling and uplifting at the same time to read about Steve Harvey’s life. To listen to his hilarious accounts of failure and success, laced with the honesty and integrity of a legend. It’s almost as if you were sitting across from him at some cozy cafe, listening to him doling out golden nuggets of life advice…
There are way too many lessons from this book to list them all. Yet, if I had to recount the ones that marked me the most, they would be:
The only way to experience real success is to jump.
I strongly believe you define your own meaning of success. Which also means it strongly varies from individual to individual…
But I also believe that to experience the fullness of our purpose, we must continually stretch ourselves. Whether it’s by learning something else, starting a course, doing something different or quitting our full-time jobs to build our businesses…
And really, stretching is jumping, parachute and all…
The process takes time and may even hurt. But you must trust it.
Every time you decide to jump, to stretch yourself to do more, be more, and accomplish more, you’ll take risks. You’ll face opposition. And the process will seriously suck at some point or another…
Some may lose everything in the process, others may have to pay a dear price to achieve their dreams. But we must know that on the way up, the air gets really thin and pain is par for the course. But we must trust it and keep going…
But if you stick to it, you will make it.
Through examples of his own life and others’, Steve makes a promise to us: that despite the discomfort, the pain and even the trauma that jumping can create, if you stick to it, you will make it! You will succeed, on your own terms…
Have you read Jump? What other lessons have you learnt through the book?
This is our weekly career and lifestyle news roundup, where we round up exciting news of the last week and we let you have it…And it’s also the last news roundup of 2016! Thank you so much for reading, and see you in 2017!
Here we go…
This week, I’m featuring Marcella Herrera, Director of Global Membership at Ellevate Network as our Woman of Impact. Read her interview HERE;
Business Insider interviewed a group of successful people sharing 11 ways to make 2017 your most productive year ever;
Speaking of 2017, Ellevate Network lists 10 career mistakes to avoid next year;
Considering a career change in the New Year? The Undercover Recruiter suggests 3 things to consider;
Are you thinking of quitting your full-time job? The Muse teaches us 4 lessons learned from quitting your full-time job with no backup plan;
Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to get your finances in order? Ellevate Network tips you off on 5 powerful money habits to adopt in 2017;
Think Pinterest is just for great recipes and amazing quotes? Think again…Work It Daily gives you tips to leverage the powerful platform in your job search;
Are you hosting New Year’s Eve dinner? Food52 suggests a festive menu that will blow your guests’ minds, but won’t blow your budget;
No time to shop for a fabulous New Year’s Eve look? In this Corporate Sister post, I’m suggesting how to create 5 sassy New Year’s Eve looks from your work wardrobe.
After weeks of anticipation and Internet-scouring, I finally left the kids with their dad, fixed my ‘fro, and went on a girl-movie-date with my sis-in-law to see “Hidden Figures“. I have to say, I was both excited and a bit apprehensive. There comes a point when, as a Black or minority person, you get slightly weary of watching anything reminiscent of your community’s suffering and challenges. Yet, at the same time, you have this yearning at the pit of your stomach to honor the stories of those who went before you and make them part of your own…
