By Shi’Terriona Straham (second from left)

Thursday, January 24th, The Merze Tate Explorers traveled to the University of Michigan to meet and interviewed Margot Shetterly, the author of the breathtaking book, Hidden Figures.

ANN ARBOR (MICH.)-Hidden Figures is a true story of three African American women who worked at N.A.S.A and whom were very intelligent individuals. Until today, these women were “Hidden Figures” in history. These women worked at N.A.S.A during segregation and the time when women were not treated equally. The story focuses on the women and how humble they were during these times. We saw how strong they were in their personal and work lives, how they fought for what they believed was right, and how they stayed together as a powerful team throughout their journeys.

Hidden Figures is a story that everyone should become familiar with by seeing the  film or reading the book. The majority of the Explorers were more familiar with the movie than the book and they ask Mrs. Shetterly a few questions about how involved she was with the making of the movie and her favorite parts of the movie.

Mrs. Shetterly was a very kind lady and she was very open to answering any and all questions that were asked in the 20 minutes we had exclusively with her. She treated us as if we were a group that she was familiar with, and she kept a smile on her face during the entire interview. Although answering questions and smiling at us may seem like small things, they made a huge impact on me because she noticed us and she acknowledged the fact that we exist.

Meeting Mrs. Shetterly was a very memorable moment in my life. She spoke up about stories that she heard about (the women in her book) as a child and never  realized the significance of their roles in the space race. This implanted knowledge in my head about three wonderful women who I never even knew existed. The women in the story reminded me that there was a time where African Americans were not given the same privileges as the whites were and they were not always treated fairly. They made me realize that the opportunities that we as African American young women have today should be cherish and most definitely not be taken for granted.

Thank you Mrs. Shetterly, you have truly left a mark on my life and I hope to one day be like you and leave a mark on someone else’s life also.