AP —The hidden figures of the space race were recognized with Congress’ highest honor at a medal ceremony on Wednesday. The Congressional Gold Medal was presented to the families of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Christine Darden at the US Capitol. The Black women hired worked in a segregated unit of female mathematicians at what is now NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 – the nation’s highest civilian honor. Vaughan rose to become NASA’s first Black supervisor and Jackson was NASA’s first Black female engineer.

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Persons: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Christine Darden, ”, Margot Lee Shetterly, Hakeem Jeffries, Mike Johnson, Wanda Jackson, Andrew Harnik, NASA –, John Glenn, Vaughan, NASA’s, Jackson, Darden Organizations: Capitol, Darden, Advisory Committee, Aeronautics –, NASA, Langley Research Locations: Connecticut, U.S, Langley, Virginia