On Monday’s episode of Good Morning America, Janelle Monáe and Octavia Spencer paid tribute to ‘another hidden figure,’ who broke barriers at the U.S. Navy.
Raye Montague, who was the first person to design computerized Navy ships, was recognized during the morning show by two of the stars of the Oscar-nominated film, Hidden Figures.
Hidden Figures tells the incredible true story of unsung heroes Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, who overcame racial discrimination to blaze trails at NASA’s segregated Virginia facilities. Monáe and Spencer were joined alongside Taraji P. Henson in the film; all three of the women graced the cover of our ESSENCE February issue.
Montague, who transformed the design process of navy ships, was honored by music artist/actress Monáe alongside Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts.
Although Spencer didn’t physically appear on the show, she shared a beautiful message via satellite saying, “I want to let you know that you are no longer hidden…we see you, we salute you and we thank you.”
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During the show, Montague emotionally expressed gratitude and also let it be known that she’s not the first African-American or woman with this accomplishment, but that she “was the first person and that’s important.”
It’s apparent that the true tale of Hidden Figures has without a doubt had a trickling effect across the nation after shedding light on the profound accomplishments that just some of our ancestors made after being overlooked for so long.