Was Katherine Goble white?

Okay, let’s talk about Katherine Johnson – a name you should absolutely know. Born Creola Katherine Coleman on a West Virginia morning in 1918, she wasn’t just good at math; she was a human supercomputer whose calculations helped launch America into space. Sadly, we lost her in 2020 at the grand old age of 101, but her story? That lives on.

Growing up in segregated West Virginia, life wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for Katherine. But her parents, Joshua and Joylette Coleman, weren’t having any of it. They knew education was the key, and they were determined to see all four of their kids get a college degree. Her mom was a teacher, instilling that love of learning early on. Her dad? He did everything from logging to farming, even working at the Greenbrier Hotel, just to make ends meet. Talk about dedication.

Even as a little girl, Katherine’s brain was wired differently. Numbers just clicked for her. But here’s the kicker: the local school for Black kids only went up to eighth grade. So, her parents made a huge sacrifice, sending her to high school way over in Institute, West Virginia. Can you imagine the commitment?

Fast forward to 1937, and Katherine graduates summa cum laude from West Virginia State College at just 18 years old! Math and French were her weapons of choice, and she wielded them like a pro. She even had professors who saw her potential and created special math courses just for her. How cool is that? Oh, and she was an Alpha Kappa Alpha, too.

After college, she taught for a bit, but then marriage came along. She and James Goble tied the knot, and she even dipped her toes into grad school at West Virginia University in 1939. Groundbreaking, right? She was one of the first Black students there, and the only woman in the math program. But family called, and she put her studies on hold.

Then came 1953, the year Katherine’s life really took off. She landed a job at NACA, which later became NASA. Now, picture this: a room full of brilliant female mathematicians, all African American, segregated from the rest. They were the “computers,” crunching numbers by hand. Katherine didn’t just crunch; she conquered.

She became a master of complex calculations, so much so that when John Glenn was about to orbit the Earth, he specifically asked for her to double-check the computer’s numbers. If John Glenn trusts you with his life, you know you’re doing something right!

Over her career, Katherine co-authored 26 scientific papers, smashing barriers left and right. She was the first woman in her division to get credit as an author on a research report. From the Space Shuttle program to Earth-orbiting satellites, her fingerprints are all over some of NASA’s biggest achievements.

Finally, in 2015, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It was a long-overdue recognition of her brilliance and her impact. And then, of course, “Hidden Figures” came out, bringing her story and the stories of her colleagues to the world. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most important heroes are the ones you’ve never heard of. Katherine Johnson wasn’t just a mathematician; she was a trailblazer, an inspiration, and a true American hero.