BHM Day 1: Hidden Figures

Ahh, it’s finally February! I’m not excited about Valentine’s Day, but for the kick off to Black History Month. I know you all are thinking “Ian, where have you been? You’ve been slacking on those BHM spotlight posts!!” To that I must remind you that I am VERY busy (think Michelle Williams (The Black One) around the time of Beyonce at the Superbowl) and that you hoes don’t pay me for this! Kidding. Well, money would be great, but you and I both know that I don’t have a damned thing to do. So why the change of heart? Well in this age of MAGA and Alternative Facts, I felt it was time to bring some positivity to the world.

A few weeks ago a Twitter troll found me and felt the need to try to knock me down a few pegs. Boy did he pick the wrong bitch! I was off work, bored, and in the mood to engage. I won’t bore you with the details but what it came down to was this:

*Ian minding his gay ass business*

TT: WHite people are awesome, Black people need to thank us for all that we’ve done for them! You’ve made no contribution to society! You all think your “space pyramids” make you special!

Ian: Those pyramids are architectural feats, I’m not thanking you for shit, and I’m pretty sure you’re a product of incest.

TT: blah blah blah hate speech blah blah Trump blah blah

*Ian puts TT on mute and goes to a movie*


The movie I saw was “Hidden Figures”. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I hadn’t seen any trailers beforehand. I only knew it featured Janelle Monae, and I love that woman. The movie was great, it made me feel emotions. It was crazy learning the story Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson for the FIRST TIME. How had I gone that long without knowing of those brilliant women? I felt like I had been deprived of some great role models. I also left with a renewed sense of pride.

I am shining the BHM spotlight on this film not only because I enjoyed the film, but also because of all the ground it has broken (and continues to break). After the whole #OscarsSoWhite fiasco, I was curious to see how Hollywood would rebound. I’m glad a film carried by THREE BLACK WOMEN was able to slay at the box office. Hell, it even knocked Star Wars out of the top slot. I found it refreshing that this filmed drew such big crowds and Tyler Perry didn’t even have to put on drag!

“Hidden Figures” came at a much needed time. It helped serve as a reminder of the greatness of our past and the promise of our future. Additionally, it convinced me to get up and start posting again, so that’s pretty major. I suggest you watch the movie or Google the women. I will be forever grateful for all that MLK has done, but I think we need to stories beyond the usual BHM players. This is where I come in: every single day in February I will be shining my BHM spotlight on various people and things. Get excited, I'm going to up your negro knowledge!