China remembers Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician in Hidden Figures

Pioneering black scientist died at 101 years old this week

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Katherine Johnson surrounded by actresses Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer on stage at the 89th Oscars in 2017. (Picture: Mark Ralston/AFP Photo)

Published: 9:19pm, 25 Feb 2020Updated: 10:23pm, 25 Feb 2020

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

As a female African-American mathematician, Katherine Johnson broke racial and gender barriers at NASA. Her story has also transcended borders, inspiring many people in China who are now mourning her death on social media.

On Tuesday, “101-year-old NASA female scientist passed away” was one of the top trending hashtags on Weibo. The story of the achievements of Johnson and her colleagues was told in the 2016 movie Hidden Figures. The Oscar-nominated film has a high score of 8.8 on Douban, an IMDB-like Chinese site.

“I watched Hidden Figures several times,” one Weibo user wrote. “I worship these women. Rest in peace. You love stars. You can now embrace those stars.”

Others also say Johnson’s story reminds them not to be limited by society’s expectations.

“She sent astronauts to space with her calculations, cracking the ceiling of gender and race,” one Weibo comment said.

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China remembers Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician in Hidden Figures

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Pioneering black scientist died at 101 years old this week

Pioneering black scientist died at 101 years old this week