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I want to welcome you to NASA’s Modern Figures,
a site dedicated to human computers like Katherine

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Johnson, and also to the women at NASA who
are, today, continuing their legacy of courage

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and excellence.

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On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the
first American to orbit Earth – a victory

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that would not have happened without the expertise
and abilities of a team of African American

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women known as “human computers.”

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I rushed myself to work everyday, because
I enjoyed what I did, never thinking that

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it would be really important to some part
all over the world.

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But it was a pleasure to be working here and
to be doing something that somebody was interested

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in.

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NASA has a long-standing cultural commitment
to excellence that is largely driven by data,

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including data about our people.

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And our data tell us that progress is driven
by questioning our assumptions and cultural

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prejudices – by embracing and nurturing
all the talent we have available, regardless

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of gender, race or other protected status,
to build a workforce as diverse as our mission.

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Embracing diversity and inclusion is how we,
as a nation, will take the next giant leap

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in exploration.

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Today, the story of these brilliant and courageous
women is shared in the book and movie Hidden

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Figures, both of which are true to the struggles
of the women at the center of the story.

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The victories for racial and gender rights
were not achieved easily or quickly, and our

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work is not done.

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Today, NASA strives to make sure their legacy
of inclusion and excellence lives on.

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This is one of the goals of this site, so
dig in and enjoy learning about our modern