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If you like stories that uncover history’s hidden figures, I’ve got just the story for you today. It’s about a Black computer programmer named Gladys West. In 1956, West became the second Black woman hired at the Naval Proving Ground in Virginia; she specialized in large-scale computer systems, but that’s not why I’m telling you about her. I’m sharing her story because her most significant work led to the creation of something we depend on to this day: GPS. 

Forty years ago, West programmed the computer that, essentially, calculated the dimensions and specificities of the earth’s surface with enough precision that it enabled the creation of the modern GPS. She wrote the guide for what was then the next generation of radar altimeter satellites.

West, who is still alive, retired from the Naval Proving Ground in 1998 and went back to school and completed her PhD. She was inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2018. “When you’re working every day, you’re not thinking, ‘What impact is this going to have on the world?’ You’re thinking, ‘I’ve got to get this right,’” she said at the time.

She certainly got it right. But even so, she doesn’t use a GPS when she travels: West prefers to do her own calculations with a paper map and pen.

Cheers to history’s hidden figures!
Maggie

P.S.: If you want to read more about women who’ve changed history, check out this week’s Over 50 spotlight: we highlighted women who have taken ownership of the fight for civil rights, which in Leona Tate’s case, is a literal statement. Click through to see what I mean!

ICYMI: Stories From The Week

Praxis Labs had raised $3.2 million in seed funding, making founder Elise Smith one of roughly 100 Black women to have raised more than $1 million for a venture-backed business.

A new study from Lean In reveals the many ways that Black women experience discrimination and racial stereotyping at work, including the fact that they are 3x more likely than white men and 2.5x more likely than white women to hear a coworker express surprise about their language skills or other abilities.

Hillary Clinton can now add “novelist” to her resume: the former presidential candidate revealed this week that she teamed up with her good friend and Canadian author Louise Penny to pen the political thriller, State of Terror. The novel is set to hit bookstands in October.

Bitwise Industries, the female-led company that trains tech workers in marginalized communities, develops software and invests in tech-friendly real estate, announced Wednesday that it has secured $50 million in Series B funding from Kapor Capital, JPMorgan, and others.

Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka says that the rate at which women are becoming leaders of the 193 recognized countries of the globe is unacceptably slow.  

Beyonce’s new ski-inspired apparel and footwear line, aptly dubbed ‘Icy Park,’ is notable for more than its fashion: the line and its marketing celebrates both body positivity and social justice.

Check List

#1: Get some positive affirmation. If you’re feeling like you’re suffering from imposter syndrome, and if you want this to change, start by seeking out networks and affinity groups that can provide validation and support.

#2: Make 2021 your ‘reset’ year. As companies think about bringing employees back to the office, many of us are doing some soul searching to figure out what we want our post-pandemic existences to look like. As part of that process, ask yourself, “How can I maintain flexibility for better life satisfaction?”

#3: Don’t take no for an answer. Rejections and rebuffs aren’t personal, so don’t interpret them as such. Instead, be persistent and go find the yes.

Across Forbes