DeSoto's Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy honors space pioneer and mathematician

Born in 1918, Katherine Johnson became a well-known mathematician and a pioneer in America's space flight exploration history. Her story as a math genius for NASA during the nation's era of racial segregation is documented in the film "Hidden Figures." Johnson was famously depicted by actress Taraji P. Henson in the 2016 Oscar-nominated film, which told the stories of the Black women whose crucial contributions made America's triumph in the space race possible.