Racism and Racial Segregation in Hidden Figures: Discrimination Against Black Women in America
Abstract views: 0
PDF downloads: 0
Keywords:
Racism, racial segregation, hidden figures, black women, representationAbstract
This study examines the representation of racism and racial segregation in the film Hidden Figures as a portrait of discrimination against Black women in the United States during the 1960s. The analysis focuses on the experiences of its three main characters Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson who worked at NASA in a racially segregated and male-dominated professional environment. This study employed a qualitative descriptive approach to analyze the representation of racism and racial segregation in the film Hidden Figures. Data were collected through repeated observation and documentation of scenes and dialogues in the film multiple times, and was examined using thematic analysis based on intersectionality and representation theory. The analysis applies intersectionality theory together with Stuart Hall’s representation theory to explore how race and gender intersect in shaping social oppression and media representation. The findings indicate that the film portrays both explicit and implicit forms of structural discrimination, including segregated facilities, limited professional recognition, and the marginalization of intellectual contributions. At the same time, the film functions as a counter narrative that challenges dominant stereotypes about Black women in science and technology. Through its representation, Hidden Figures not only reflects historical realities of systemic racism but also serves as a medium of social criticism that promotes awareness of racial and gender justice.
Downloads
References
Alviani, C., & Halomoan, H. S. (2026). A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF RACISM OF AFRICAN WOMAN IN THE FILM “ HIDDEN FIGURES .” 1(3), 1–17. https://jurnal.ubd.ac.id/index.php/bhumantara
Amanda, K. R., Purwanto, N. R., Nur, V., Putri, F., Siswandini, P., & Anggraini, H. M. (2024). Analyzing the Movie " Hidden Figures " ( 2016 ): A Comprehensive Examination of Race and Gender Inequality. 5(March), 116–120.
Annisa, F., Nurnisya, F. Y., Raqib, M., Mohd, B., & Pradipt, E. P. (2025). Decoding Diversity : Indonesian Student ’ Reception of Religious and Multicultural Themes in ‘ Mentega Terbang ’ Using Stuart Hall ’ s Encoding / Decoding Framework. 13(1), 113–128. https://doi.org/10.12928/channel.v13i1.1341
Begeny, C. T., Wong, C. Y. E., Kirby, T. A., & Rink, F. (2021). Gender, Race, and Leadership. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology, 35. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.450
Bell, M. P., Berry, D., & Leopold, J. (2020). Gender, Work and Organization. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12555
Bisht, B., Ha, G., Kim, E., & Penner, E. K. (2026). Cultural Relevance at Scale : The Effects of an Ethnic Studies Expansion on Academic Outcomes. 63(3), 471–513. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312261426338
Brown, T. H., & Homan, P. (2024). Structural Racism and Health Stratification : Connecting Theory to Measurement. https://doi.org/10.1177/00221465231222924
Chaturvedi, H., & Mirza, D. R. (2026). Black Women ’ s Lived Experiences in STEM Education and Professional Spaces : Barriers , Identity , and Institutional Challenges. International Journal Of Educational Research 134, 134, 35–47.
Collins, P. H. (2000). Black Feminist Thought (2nd Editio). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203900055
Collins, P. H., Cristina, E., & Furseth, I. (2021). Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory. 20, 690–725. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41296-021-00490-0
Corbett, C., Wullert, K. E., Gilmartin, S. K., & Simard, C. (2024). Glass Ceilings , Step Stools , and Sticky Floors : The Racialized Gendered Promotion Process. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231241274238
Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, 43, 59. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1229039?searchText=Mapping the Margins Intersectionality%2C Identity Politics%2C and Violence against Women of Color&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DMapping%2Bthe%2BMargins%253A%2BIntersectionality%252C%2BIdentit
Dill, B. J., & Duffy, M. (2022). Structural Racism And Black Women ’ s Employment In The US Health Care Sector. Health Affairs, 265–272. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01400
Dustin, M., & Malleson, K. (2025). Separate But Equal : Is Segregated Schooling ( Still ) Good for Girls ? Feminist Legal Studies, 33(1), 29–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10691-023-09542-9
Febriani, J. J., & Arianto, T. (2020). RACISM TOWARDS AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN “ HIDDEN. 2069(6), 66–76.
Hirokawa, K. H. (2023). Race , Space , and Place : Interrogating Whiteness Through a Critical Approach to Place. 29(2).
Homan, P., Brown, T. H., & King, B. (2021). Structural Intersectionality as a New Direction for Health Disparities Research. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 62(3), 350–370. https://doi.org/10.1177/00221465211032947
Ireland, D. T., FREEMAN, kIMBERLEY E., WINSTON-PROCTOR, C. E., DELAINE, K. D., & LOWE, S. M. (2018). Chapter 10 (Un)Hidden Figures: A Synthesis of Research Examining the Intersectional Experiences of Black Women and Girls in STEM Education. Experiences of Black Women and Girls in STEM, 42(March), 226–254. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18759072
Kassam, S. M. (2024). Use of Intersectionality Theory and Interpretive Descriptive Qualitative Method to Address Inequalities in Marginalized Communities. 4(1), 24–31. https://doi.org/10.47540/ijqr.v4i1.1254
Liu, J. (2024). Education legislations that equalize: a study of compulsory schooling law reforms in post-WWII United States. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03460-0
Mcgee, E. O., Griffith, D. M., & STACEY L. HOUSTON, I. (2019). “ I Know I Have to Work Twice as Hard and Hope That Makes Me Good Enough ”: Exploring the Stress and Strain of Black Doctoral Students in Engineering and Computing. Teachers College Record, 121, 38. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811912100407
O’Flaherty, B., & Sethi, R. (2015). of Racial Segregation (Vol. 10, Issue 2). ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/racial-segregation
Ong, M., Smith, J. M., & Ko, L. T. (2018). Counterspaces for Women of Color in STEM Higher Education : Marginal and Central Spaces for Persistence and Success. 55(2), 206–245. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21417
Perkasa, G. A., Khairunas, S., Wibowo, A. I., & Yastanti, U. (2024). Gender Equality and Intersectional Feminism in The Hidden Figures Movie Directed by Theodore Melfi. SCOPE : JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING, 09, 194–202. https://doi.org/10.30998/scope.v9i1.24190
Purasih, J. M. (2023). RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN HIDDEN FIGURES ( 2016 ) Jela Milenina Purasih Abstrak. 11(3).
Rahmalia, A. (2024). DEPICTION OF SYSTEMIC RACISM IN HIDDEN FIGURES MOVIE BY THEODORE MELFI. Apollo Project, 13, 79–88.
Rai, S. S., Peters, R. M. H., Syurina, E. V, Irwanto, I., Naniche, D., & Zweekhorst, M. B. M. (2020). Intersectionality and health-related stigma : insights from experiences of people living with stigmatized health conditions in Indonesia. 1–15.
Rustamana, A., Adillah, P. M., & Maharani, N. K. (2024). Metode Penelitian Kualitatif. 2(6), 919–930.
Salamon, E., & Xie, H. (2025). Communicative intersectionality : advocating for equality , diversity , and inclusion in media industries. May, 185–196.
Schools, U. (2025). Reconsidering School Segregation Contemporary Lessons from 1960s Protest against Separate and. 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742058X25100064
Shetterly, M. L. (2016). Hidden Figures. William Morrow and Company. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Figures_%28book%29?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Siira, E., Linden, K., Wallström, S., & Björkman, I. (2023). Intersectionality in nursing research : A systematic review. September, 7509–7527. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.2021
Tomkin, J. H., & West, M. (2022). STEM courses are harder : evaluating inter ‑ course grading disparities with a calibrated GPA model. International Journal of STEM Education, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-022-00343-1
Woods, J. C., Lane, T. B., Huggins, N., Watson, A. L., Jan, F. T., Austin, S. J., & Thomas, S. (2024). education sciences Structural Impediments Impacting Early-Career Women of Color STEM Faculty Careers.
Yazdiha, H. (2022). Racialized Organizations in Racialized Space : How Socio-spatial Divisions Activate Symbolic Boundaries in a Charter School and a Public School. https://doi.org/10.1177/23326492221114811
Zhang, N., Gereke, J., Baldassarri, D., Zentrum, M., Mzes, S., & Mannheim, U. (2022). Everyday discrimination in public spaces : a field experiment in the milan metro. February, 679–693.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Hikma Musyaffa Pramudya, Yusrina Dinar Prihatika
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
All articles published in the Journal Corner of Education, Linguistics, and Literature are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA).
