Mary W.

Jackson Speech

I was born in 1921 in Hampton VA. I worked at NASA for 34 years. Through my

love of science, I inspired children of color to pursue a career in science. I graduated

from Hampton Institute in 1942 with a dual degree in Mathematics and Physical

Science. Mary held several unrelated jobs before joining NASA’s West Area Computing

section in 1951. Despite segregation and racial inequalities, in just seven years, I

became the first black female engineer at NASA. By 1958, I published my first report

about the effect of supersonic speeds on spacecrafts. Frustrated with the lack of

promotion into management positions, I took a position as Langley’s Federal Women’s

Program Manager where I ensured the recruitment and promotion of future generations

of female mathematicians, engineers, and scientists. In 1985 I retired and continued to

impact my community, until my death in 2005. NASA’s Washington D.C. headquarters

building is named after me. In 2019, I was posthumously awarded the Congressional

Gold Medal. In 2019 I was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to honor my

contributions to NASA's success during the Space Race. My handmade calculations

played an integral role in aircraft testing during World War II, supersonic flight research;

sending the Voyager probes to explore the solar system; and the United States landing

the first man on the lunar surface.