Katherine broke social norms and barriers for women and, specifically, Black women. What evidence from the text supports this conclusion? Audio

Question

A. “In 1958, Katherine met a man named Jim Johnson. Jim respected Katherine’s work and enjoyed spending time with her daughters. They married in 1959.” Audio

B. “She played cards and talked about aviation magazines with her white male colleagues during breaks. She even successfully demanded that she be allowed to attend high-level briefings.” Audio

C. “She and Jimmie soon had three daughters, born in 1940, 1943, and 1944. And by 1947, Katherine returned to teaching with Jimmie. In 1951, Katherine and Jimmie moved their family to Virginia.”

D. “Two years later, astronaut John Glenn was preparing to be the first American to orbit the planet. NASA used a series of mechanical computers to calculate his path. But these new computers were not always reliable.”

Answer 1

The evidence that best supports the conclusion that Katherine broke social norms and barriers for women, specifically Black women, is found in option B:

“She played cards and talked about aviation magazines with her white male colleagues during breaks. She even successfully demanded that she be allowed to attend high-level briefings.”

This statement highlights Katherine's ability to engage with her white male colleagues in a domain where racial and gender barriers were prevalent, illustrating her defiance of societal norms of the time regarding race and gender roles in the workplace. Additionally, her successful demand to attend high-level briefings indicates her determination and capability to assert her professional worth in a male-dominated and racially biased environment.