INDIANAPOLIS -- "Hidden Figures" -- a movie of empowerment and education -- has been nominated for three Academy Awards.
The woman behind the book the movie is based on, Margot Lee Shetterly, was in Indiana Wednesday night. She was at Purdue talking to students and the public about the history not taught in schools.
"The story [of space] was really around me from the time I was a child," Shetterly said.
She always knew space travel was possible because of women.
"Hidden Figures" is a testament to the women history almost forgot.
"Here's this amazing story that touches on World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Movement, the space race right?" Shetterly said.
But until her book, most never knew about the black women -- mathematicians -- who helped ignite America's love of space exploration.
"These women got up, and they went to work every single day," Shetterly said. "It was us that didn't pay attention to it."
Shetterly's dad worked at NASA's Langley Research Center, but the women in the movie were her real life role models.
"He is the one who said 'You know what? I can't believe we don't know this story,'" she said. "And that was really the beginning of what became 'Hidden Figures.'"
Purdue's Loeb Playhouse was packed to hear her speak.
"I love learning about my own history," Purdue student Tynia Williams said. "I have been looking for different role models to look up to and just different ethnicities besides the white male role model."
