Watching great movies like HIDDEN FIGURES is often more
special than they were intended to be. That is exactly what happened to me when
last Sunday, I went to see this possibly
best movie of the year.
In this brilliant movie, three wonderful African-American women worked at
NASA -- Katherine Johnson portrayed by Taraji P. Henson, Dorothy Vaughan
portrayed by Octavia Spencer and Mary Jackson portrayed by Janelle Monáe. These
three women were the brains behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn into
orbit, one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of US.
Most inspiring movies try to teach us something and are made
with a message hidden in the storyline.
However, depending on our own mindset and current situation or past
history, sometimes the messages we obtain may not necessarily be the message
that the moviemaker intended for us to receive. Often it is a lot more
important one because it triggers something in us that opens the door in our
minds for an even bigger revelation that we had been waiting for and needing
for a very long time.
This Sunday, by the end of the movie Hidden Figures, I felt
very proud of the three amazing black women who fought the fight against
segregation in their own beautiful way. They used their intelligence and
persistence to demand respect for themselves. They were not going to let anyone
treat them less then anyone else just because they were black. They proved that
they were as good and maybe even better than any white person. They proved that
the color of ones skin did not make the person.
What I also saw, and probably the movie had no plans to show,
was that as all the three women were fighting against the white community for
equality, a big part towards their success in this fight, this civil war, was
that they had family support. Their families believed that they deserved better
and supported them in their fight against segregation. This was a community
wide fight. All black men and women were fighting for this equality together.
Of course, I was happy for these very real women depicted in
this story, who fought against segregation and for equality in 1961. They were
able to fulfill their dreams and were able to change the culture at NASA. They
were able to stop segregation within NASA and gained the respect they deserved.
As I came out of the cinema and walked to my car, I could
not stop my eyes from tearing up. I
realized that my heart was welling up because I did not have that family and
community support in my civil war against domestic abuse. I have been fighting alone against domestic
abuse all my life since I was a little girl. No one ever taught me to fight for
my rights. No one ever showed me that I deserve to be respected. No one ever encouraged me to believe that my
feelings mattered.
I have been and I am the Hero of my life. I am surprised and proud of myself; I never
gave in or gave up. I always said NO to abuse.
And the fight goes on. I am still learning and growing as I use my experiences
and strength to help my sons and others in similar abusive situations.
I choose to live an abuse-free life that I am proud of and I
will never accept less than best for me.
After much introspection, I am ready to break the last chain of own bondage.
I am free!
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