Taraji P. Henson spoke with conviction Sunday night after it was announced that “Hidden Figures” won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
The film, which has received much acclaim including an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, tells the little-known stories of three black women ― Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson ― who played pivotal roles in NASA’s successful attempt to put astronaut John Glenn into orbit. Henson, who portrayed Johnson, accepted the award alongside her castmates and delivered a stirring speech about the movie’s purpose.
“This film is about unity,” Henson said. “The shoulders of the women that we stand on are three American heroes: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. Without them, we would not know how to reach the stars.”
“These women did not complain about the problems, the circumstances, the issues,” she continued. “They focused on solutions. Therefore, these brave women helped put men into space.”
Henson spoke with full confidence as she concluded with a message of unity and understanding.
“This story is about what happens when we put our differences aside, and we come together as a human race,” she concluded. “We win. Love wins every time … They are hidden figures no more!”
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