Living History Nights: Katherine Johnson
Step into the past with Living History Nights presented by the Gallipolis Living History Nights Committee. Each night a scholar will assume the role of a notable historical figure and perform a monologue based on the life of that individual. Followed by an audience Q & A and then a meet & greet with the scholar. Performances are suitable for students and adults. Pre-performance entertainment with Terry McKinniss at 6:15 PM and performance begins at 7:00 PM.
One of NASA’s human ‘computers,’ Katherine Johnson performed the complex calculations that enabled humans to successfully achieve space flight. Katherine Johnson made the most of limited educational opportunities for African Americans, graduating from college at age 18. She began working in aeronautics as a “computer” in 1952, and after the formation of NASA, she performed the calculations that sent astronauts into orbit in the early 1960s and to the moon in 1969. Johnson was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Margot Lee Shetterly’s 2016 book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race celebrated the little-known story of Johnson and her fellow African American computers. It was also turned into an Oscar-nominated feature film, Hidden Figures (2016), starring actress Taraji P. Henson as Johnson.
Portrayed by Sherrie Tolliver. Sherrie Tolliver is a 2nd generation Clevelander whose 40+ years career as an actor, writer, director, stand – up comic and history interpreter has taken her across the country and around the world. As a member of the Group Women In History she has brought the stories of great women such as Dr. Susan McKinney Stewart, Rosa Parks, Madam C.J. Walker, Sojourner Truth, and Josephine Baker to life for audiences of all ages. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
FREE ADMISSION