Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe Radiate ESSENCE’s February 2017 Cover

On January 6, audiences were gifted two films bursting with Black movie magic: Fences and Hidden Figures. But it’s Hidden Figures that stands out because it unveils a significant piece of American history: a Black female mathematician was essential in catapulting the first American men into orbit.

This genius, Katherine Johnson, is the centerpiece of the unheralded story of NASA’s “colored computers” who broke down racial and gender barriers in the 1960s. Hidden Figures stars Taraji P. Henson (as Johnson), Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe—and these actresses radiate on screen as well as on ESSENCE’s February 2017 cover.