Boyden 1

Rynn Boyden

Professor Shackett

English-122

13 November 2019

The Conditions of Success

Women, African-Americans, the LGBT community, Muslims, Native Americans, and

more minority groups in the United States have all faced bigotry and discrimination standing in

their way of civil rights. In the mid-twentieth century, the rights of both women and black

people were a constant struggle. However— even with these clear obstacles— some black

women were able to overcome adversity in the first steps toward true equality. Margot Lee

Shetterly, herself a black author, details the lives of various black women in their successes

working for NACA in the nonfiction book Hidden Figures. One woman in particular, Mary

Jackson, uses her specific skills and circumstances to be promoted to one of the first African-

American female engineers. Although Mary Jackson’s skillset rivals those of white engineers,

her success is dependent on both her perseverance and good fortune of her superiors due to the

prevalent discrimination of her time.

To excel in a competitive work environment, Mary Jackson requires hard work to take

full advantage of her abilities. Always a strong student in school, when she attends college she

pushes herself to her academic limits. Shetterly describes that Mary Jackson “pushed herself to

complete not one but two rigorous majors, in mathematics and political science” (95). Being at a

disadvantage because of her race and gender, she proves she is capable of success in multiple

fields. Using her determination to go above and beyond anyone’s expectations, Mary Jackson
 Boyden 2

becomes a well educated student ready to enter the workforce. Although she is well qualified for

many jobs, blatant discrimination meant she does not land her dream job at first. One of Mary

Jackson’s earlier jobs is at the local United Service Organization as a secretary. As Shetterly

points out, “Her daily schedule, however, usually overflowed beyond the job’s narrow duties” as

she helps anyone who needs it (95). Mary Jackson is a hardworking individual. She does not

need to be asked to put in the extra effort: benefiting both her job and her community. This extra

work allows her to be in a powerful position wherever she works and prepares her for more and

more demanding jobs. Mary Jackson’s determination is not the only quality she uses to advance

her career, but a necessary one.

Mary Jackson is a minority; it takes bravery to be able to stand up for herself and push

herself past her limits. Once employed at NACA, Mary Jackson is not afraid of standing up for

herself either. When her supervisor flags her answers as incorrect, she insists she made no

mistake. Shetterly emphasizes “she and her diversion chief went back and forth over the data” as

Mary Jackson stands by her numbers, and reveals “the problem wasn’t with her output but with

his input” (114). She stands her ground when confronted, even by her boss who has control over

her employment and success. However, by not admitting fault when she had none, Mary

Jackson proves her bravery and talent, eventually allowing her to be promoted. This bravery is

leveraged by Mary Jackson to give her a chance of success in a segregated world.

Mary Jackson achieves personal satisfaction by spreading her bravery to others. While

she is a group leader of local Girl Scouts, she spreads her bravery to the young girls. Because

“Mary didn’t have the power to remove the limits that society placed on her girls,” Shetterly

reports she instead would “pry off the restrictions they might place on themselves [because of]
 Boyden 3

their dark skin, their gender, their economic status” (98). While Jim Crow laws are trying to

keep black women suppressed, Mary Jackson and her girls stand up to the bigotry in a time

where doing so is illegal. Instead of letting laws dictate what she does, she takes matters into her

own hands and is not scared to disregard the fact she is a minority. She is able to help not just

herself with these values, but the next generation of black women. Mary Jackson is happy that

not only she is fearless, but her children and members of her community will be as well.

While Mary Jackson has the qualities that make up a hard worker, she would not be a

successful engineer without the employment opportunities offered to her. While she had a

double major in analytical fields, she still found herself in a secretarial position. Shetterly

explains that it is not until “Uncle Sam decided she would be of better use as an NACA computer

than as a military secretary,” that Mary Jackson can accept “an offer to work for Dorothy

Vaughan” (99). The brilliant woman studies and works as hard as she can, but still must wait to

be accepted into a successful job to see that work pay off. Mary Jackson requires the opportunity

of a professional job to see herself eventually become an engineer; without the offer to work at

NACA, she would have still been a secretary. One day, after having been discriminated while she

was working as a computer, she rants to a coworker about the racial disparity. However, as

Shetterly notes that Mary Jackson has a “turning point in her career” when her coworker says,

“‘Why don’t you come work for me?’ [and Mary] didn’t hesitate to accept the offer” (110). Even

at NACA, discrimination is still prevalent at higher levels; her offer to change departments is

almost by chance. Mary Jackson still depends on bosses and supervisors to promote her in order

to continue her path to become a successful engineer. No matter her skills or knowledge, she

still must be offered a job before becoming successful in it.

 Boyden 4

Trust is an integral part of Mary Jackson’s career which allows her to outperform her

colleagues. After switching departments at NACA, her new boss starts teaching her new skills

almost immediately. According to Shetterly, “From the beginning, Czarnecki had put Mary at

the controls in the wind tunnel, showing her how to fire up the tunnel’s roaring sixty-thousand-

horsepower engines” (143). The wind-tunnels are a main part of Langley’s research, so allowing

her to run them is a significant show of trust. Every time Mary Jackson learns a new skill, she

comes closer and closer to becoming an engineer. Her boss believes she is smart and capable

enough in a time of discrimination, and continues leading her path to success. Without trust in

Mary Jackson with large parts of NACA’s equipment, her successes would never come to

fruition.

On her way to finally becoming an engineer, Mary Jackson also requires others to trust

her potential. She needs to take a few more courses to be promoted, but finding a place to take

them is not easy. Shetterly reports Mary Jackson “needed to petition the city of Hampton for

‘special permission’ to attend classes in the whites-only school... The City of Hampton granted

Mary the dispensation” (144). While NACA is working harder to integrate their workforce, the

local government under Jim Crow laws still discriminates against minorities. Luckily, the city

sees the potential in Mary Jackson and allows her to attend, but that may not have happened.

After her entire path leading to this moment, she must have faith that the school will admit her in

order to finally become an engineer. The city’s trust in what Mary Jackson has to offer allows

her to take the last steps needed to succeed in her dream.

While certain conditions lead Mary Jackson and the other women portrayed in Hidden

Figures to success, those same conditions could have led Deborah Lacks from The Immortal Life
 Boyden 5

of Henrietta Lacks to success as well. The qualities of the successful women at NASA—

determination and bravery— exist in Deborah Lacks as well. The daughter of immortal

Henrietta Lacks puts her mind to the research and is fearless of finding the truth; she does not

have the same level of success as Mary Jackson, though, because she lacks the environment.

While Mary Jackson has the trust of her superiors, because of her family history, Deborah Lacks

does not have the same privilege. She is constantly taken advantage of by the scientific

community and scammers alike. Similarly, without the same job offers from prestigious

employers, Deborah Lacks has no chance of the same level of success as Mary Jackson.

Deborah Lacks could have found herself as fortunate as the women of Hidden Figures had she

had those conditions: trust and employment opportunity.

The determination as well as opportunities granted to Mary Jackson allow her to live a

fulfilled life. Shetterly’s nonfiction Hidden Figures demonstrates that both one’s qualities and

their environment must work together to create success. In my own life, I could take advantage

of both characteristics had they been granted to me. While I am hard-working and always try my

best, I would use bravery to stand up for myself. With that quality, I could be more vocal about

my wants and needs. As for circumstances, I of course would accept any job offer from a

respected employer. With a better job, I could make a larger salary and not struggle to pay

tuition and rent. Both one’s character and events have the potential to greatly influence their life,

if used correctly.