*13-year-old aspiring astronaut Taylor Richardson attended a White House screening of “Hidden Figures” in December, and she was so inspired by the film’s portrayal of the real-life African-American women who helped send astronaut John Glenn to space, that she raised thousands of dollars to help other girls see the film for free.
Taylor and her mom set up a GoFundMe page to help 100 other girls in her Florida hometown see the film, hoping to encourage them to pursue a career in math and science.
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According to msn.com, Richardson set a goal of $2,600 but raised more than $17,000 and sparked more than 70 similar initiatives around the country that, so far, have raised more than $120,000 and held screenings in 28 different states.
Richardson held the first screening in January, where 275 attendees got to see the film. She and her mother plan to use the additional money for even more screenings and to provide the girls with a copy of the “Hidden Figures” book.
Earlier this year, the stars of “Hidden Figures,” Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson and Jim Parsons hosted similar events in Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.
The film stars Taraji P. Henson as Katherine G. Johnson, a mathematician who calculated flight trajectories for Project Mercury and other missions. The film also features Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan and Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson. The film was released on December 25, 2016 to positive reviews and has grossed $169 million worldwide. It has been nominated for numerous awards, including three Oscars, for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Spencer, and two Golden Globes, Best Supporting Actress (Spencer) and Best Original Score. It won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
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