B H This Day in Black History

April 21

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April 1958

Mary Jackson Becomes NASA's First Black Female Engineer

In 1958, Mary Jackson became the first African American female engineer at NASA after petitioning the City of Hampton, Virginia, for permission to attend whites-only classes. Her story was told in "Hidden Figures." She later worked to help other women and minorities advance at NASA.

scienceinnovationcivil-rights
People: Mary Jackson
Sources
1. Mary Jackson: NASA's First Black Female Engineer - Smithsonian Magazine2. Mary Jackson: NASA's First Black Female Engineer - PBS3. Mary Jackson - NASA History Office4. Mary Jackson - National Women's History Museum

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