True Grit

In finishing the film “Hidden Figures” all I could think was, “Damn, this all really happened. These people were completely disadvantaged and through true grit accomplished their goals.” The first word that comes to mind in description is,  inspirational.  During the time these events took place, it was nearly impossible for non-whites, especially women, to pursue careers they enjoyed and loved.
This oppression at the time didn't only come from whites, even people within their own race grew doubts which further highlights the courage of the three women in this film. At times in the film, Mary Jackson’s husband even doubts her accomplishing her dreams, showing the doubts people had and how many dreams were simply crushed, forgotten, and unpursued.
At another point in the film, when Dorothy took her sons to the library to borrow some books, they get kicked out, just because the library was whites’ only. This shows a lack of support for black people to bring it upon themselves to succeed.
This made me sad to see how she really had no one on her side when she was only trying to improve herself.  In Macroeconomics we talk about the concept of human capital as something to build for yourself to make yourself a better asset to the community or a business. If you live in a society that keeps you from building your human capital, your skills become obsolete and you have nothing to help you succeed or benefit others, in essence, you become worthless. This is what society tried to do to these women and they persevered.
The security guard in the library even pushed her sons out as well.The fact that a physical encounter took place to try and withhold knowledge from someone is just absurd. Dorothy is a very witty and strong person. She stayed determined in what she believed in and knew she could accomplish her goals, she didn’t leave her girls and moved them up with her.
These examples stood out to me because they really highlight the obstacles the generations) before me, had to go through and battle. It makes me appreciate the path I can take because I am nowhere near as challenged in my decisions as they were and I wish more films like this would be made to remind and help people to not take for granted what advantages they have. And to help others understand that anything really is possible if you have grit and resilience coming from the right place.