Actress Octavia Spencer isn’t the only person treating young people to screenings of the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures. This week, the Delta Epsilon Foundation decided to follow in her footsteps.

Laurie Hylick

On January 23, 100 young girls and boys watched the story of three African-American women – Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – working at NASA during the space race. These women were the brains behind astronaut John Glenn’s launch into orbit.

Before the showing at the Ritz Theater in Voorhees, chairman of the foundation, Archon Rod Bennet, moderated a Q&A with Laurie Hylick, the granddaughter of Katherine Johnson. The foundation invited youth from local organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Camden Youth Services and Eastern Regional High School, to help expose young people to a film focused on empowering black women to pursue STEM careers.

“I learned that talent does not see race, color or creed,” said Overbrook High School senior, Korey Hagamin. “The movie inspired us to challenge social norms to be the first, make history and change the world.”