Even when faced with the double-edged sword of racism and sexism, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson’s courage, wit and strength depicted in the film “Hidden Figures,” helped NASA accomplish groundbreaking aircraft launches and landings.

Based in segregated Virginia during the ’40s, the movie depicts how all of the African-American women “computers,” as their title was known, distanced themselves from their Caucasian colleagues.

Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson also had an unequal level of materials, equipment and facilities.

Despite the barriers the women faced outside and inside of NASA, Jackson, Johnson and Vaughan were still expected to perform just as well as their counterparts with no complaints or demands for equality.

Without the women’s knowledge in engineering, programing and geometry America would not have been able to serve as a threat to Russia during the race to outer space, especially as they conducted the orbital launch of astronaut John Glenn.

Main character Johnson, portrayed by Taraji P. Henson, was given clearance to work side by side with Caucasian NASA members tasked with double checking the calculation of her coworkers.

She also helped with determining mathematically how to make Glenn circle the Earth.

Henson brought Johnson’s character to life with her range of emotions from frustration, wittiness, joy and pride.

Even after encountering stares, racial remarks and resistance from her coworkers, Henson, in one of the more captivating scenes, looks her intimidating boss in the eyes and expresses her frustration about the segregation she experienced.

Henson is a well-known African-American actress who is unfortunately typecast into roles where she either a struggling mother, as in “Karate Kid,” or a loud and sassy woman in “Baby Boy,” and “Empire.”

It was a great change of pace seeing her star in a role where she had to be empowered at some points and meek in others.

Even though this was the first time singer and songwriter Janelle Monae had a lead role in a film, she held her own in a cast filled with respected and seasoned actors such as Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst and Octavia Spencer.

Monae depicted Jackson, who served as an aeronautical engineer for NASA’s Langley Research Center for 34 years. According to nasa.gov, the workers at the center helped design, create and equip aircraft for launch.

Even with a bachelor’s degree and experience with engineering, Jackson was still not qualified for the official aeronautical engineer position, so she had to fight for court-ordered permission to attend a segregated high school.

The film shows how easy it is to take for granted the quality of education that is available to American students regardless of age, ethnicity or race.

Monae brought an energy to the screen and fun dynamic to the trio between her, Henson and Spencer.

The chemistry the actresses had with each other made the film not only believable but also entertaining.

Even when the audience had no idea about the formulas, equations or terminology they were talking about, they still brought a relatable quality with their emotions and friendship.

The timing of the film is one of its best qualities.

The 2016 presidential campaign destroyed the narrative that America became a post-racial society when hidden racists and sexist viewpoints were brought to the forefront.

The campaign sparked riots, rallies, bullying and confrontation which shined a light on how divided we are as a nation.

All of the “human computers” in the movie served as an inspiration, because even with social unrest such as riots, protesting and fear the women were able to propel America forward in science and mathematics.

The movie helps keep Americans conscious of how far we have come as a society with promoting equality ineducation and in the workplace, but remind us how easily we can slip back into those hateful tendencies.

Even though the film did not honor the “human computers” until years after their service, the tribute is well-written, well-developed, well-timed and needed.

I would rate this film 10 out of 10 stars and recommend every American, not just African-American women, to watch it.