ALL A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #

[Dorothy Vaughan's 1957 Chevrolet has stalled out on the side of the road; a Virginia State Police cruiser drives up and stops, and a State Trooper gets out and looks at Mary, Dorothy and Katherine.]
State Trooper: Not a great place for the three of y'all to be havin' car trouble.
Mary Jackson: We didn't pick the place, Officer, it picked us.
State Trooper: [Glaring at Mary] You bein' disrespectful?
Mary Jackson: No, sir.
State Trooper: You have identification on ya?
Katherine: We sure do. We're just on our way to work. At Langley. NASA, sir.
[Mary, Katherine and Dorothy all display their NASA ID cards.]
Dorothy Vaughan: We do a great deal of the calculating getting our rockets into space.
State Trooper: All three of ya?
Mary Jackson: Yes, Officer.
[The State Trooper studies Mary's ID card for a few moments.]
State Trooper: NASA. That's somethin'. Had no idea they hired...
Dorothy Vaughan: [Politely; the Trooper meant something else] There are quite a few women working in the Space Program, sir.
[The State Trooper looks up at the sky suspiciously.]
State Trooper: Damn Russians are watching us right now. Sputniks. [Turning his attention back] You girls ever meet those astronauts? The Mercury Seven?
[There is a moment's pause; the three women have never met the Mercury Seven but decide not to admit that.]
Mary Jackson: Absolutely.
State Trooper: Alan Shepard? John Glenn?
Katherine Johnson: We work with those gentlemen all the time.
State Trooper: Those boys are the best we got. That's for sure. We have'ta get up there before the Commies do. Whole damn country's countin' on 'em.
Dorothy Vaughan: That's for certain.
Mary Jackson: Hard to be of service broken down on the side of the road, though.
State Trooper: That's right. That's right. You need a tow or somethin'?
Dorothy Vaughan: No, thank you, Officer. I think I got it, right here. Just have to bypass the starter. [Dorothy touches the screwdriver to between the battery poles; the car starts.] That's a girl. We're all set.
State Trooper: Hell, least I can do is give you an escort. Imagine y'all are runnin' late to work.
Katherine Johnson: Oh, we wouldn't want to trouble you-
Mary Jackson: That would be wonderful, Officer.
State Trooper: Follow me.
[Cut to the State Trooper's cruiser flying down the road, lights and siren on, with Mary following close behind.]
Dorothy Vaughan: Slow down, Mary! You're too close!
Mary Jackson: He said to follow him.
Dorothy Vaughan: Doesn't mean you hit him in the ass!
Katherine Johnson: Dear Lord... please... I don't even know where to begin!
Mary Jackson: I'll tell you where to begin: three "colored" women are chasing a white police officer down a highway in Hampton, Virginia, 1961. Ladies, that there is a God-ordained miracle!


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