Unveiling and Dedication to Honor NASA Pioneer Katherine G. Johnson Friday, August 26, 2016 - 2:00pm Carousel Park, 610 Settlers Landing Rd. Hampton, VA
The National Technical Association, Inc. (NTA) and The Sankofa Projects, in conjunction with the Hampton Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) will host an Unveiling and Dedication of a bench and historical marker to honor NASA Mathematician & NASA Pioneer Katherine G. Johnson. The Unveiling and Dedication of the bench and marker will also celebrate the 98th birthday of Dr. Johnson. All are invited to attend this community event which is free and open to the public.
After 33 years at NASA where Johnson worked as a Research Mathematician, she broke racial and gender barriers and became known for her legendary calculations. The precision of her calculations contributed to the orbits/trajectories of early space travel, including the historic orbits of Alan Sheppard and first flights to and from the moon. In 2015, Johnson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama for her role and contributions to the Space Program.
In 2008, the National Technical Association, Inc. raised funds for a bench to be erected in Johnson’s honor and in 2015, The Sankofa Projects hosted a reception to honor Johnson at the Hampton History Museum where Johnson was featured in their exhibit, “The Truth About Women: Myth or Reality.”
In 2015, the NTA, an organization dedicated to minorities in engineering and technology and The Sankofa Projects, an educational, cultural and social justice organization, joined forces to make the bench a reality and thus The Katherine G. Johnson Bench Project was born. On February 20, 2016, The NTA and The Sankofa Projects hosted an unveiling of the bench at the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, VA where over 200 guests and dignitaries filled the venue to pay tribute to Johnson. The historical marker is a contribution donated by the CVB to contextualize the bench. Join us as we honor Dr. Johnson with these permanent fixtures as we celebrate one of Hampton Roads greats!
For more information, contact Chadra Pittman Walke ~ chadrapw@gmail.com ~ 757-816-1579 or Michael Chapman ~ 757-344-3908 ~ machapman757@verizon.net ###
