Interview #1: NASA's Moon 2024

Hello everyone! My name is Camryn Turner and through the Rosenkrantz Discovery Grant, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville is home to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) largest center, the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. The Marshall Space and Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. I was inspired to visit the Huntsville by both Hidden Figures, a 2016 film that tells the story of three African-American women working for NASA in the mid-1900s, and a visit to the Harvard College Observatory as a part of the “Sites of Science” week in the History of Science Sophomore Tutorial in which we learned about women who created the charted the stars and created glass plates. These two historical encounters led me to think more about the forgotten narrative of African-American women in STEM, particularly in aeronautics and space industries, and also to think about the current work being done by African-American Women at NASA. 

 Throughout my trip, I conducted two interviews with African-American women that worked in various sectors of NASA. The first of the two interviewees were Mrs. Lakeisha Hawkins. Mrs. Hawkins serves as the Deputy Manager for the Habitation Systems Development Office at NASA. In about an hour, Mrs. Hawkins and I discussed several things including her personal life, schooling, and current projects. I voice recorded the entirety of the interview and also typed out notes as she spoke. I’m not sure what the best way is to share the material I collected from the interview but I have included a loose transcription of some of the most relevant and interesting material. 

Q: How did you get to the position you’re in now? 

A: I am originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana but moved to Florida in high school. I received a degree in mechanical engineering from Florida State University in ‘97 and went on to receive a Masters degree in engineering management from the University of South Florida. I was always interested in science and space but interned every summer of college with a company having nothing to do with aerospace. After graduation, I took a position at Pratt & Whitney as a Testing Engineer. I was involved in the process of building, developing, and testing, components, and systems for space shuttle main engines. That’s how I became involved with the aerospace industry. 

Q: You mentioned that you have always been interested in science and space, what resources and opportunities if any, cultivated that interest? 

A: Well, I had several teachers who encouraged me to pursue my interest in science and one teacher, in particular, saw something special and me and I was placed into the gifted program. This granted me the opportunity to dive deeper into science. I was also grateful to witness the latter half of the Space Race and watch the Apollo launch on television. 

Q: What does your day-to-day schedule look like in your current position?

A: My schedule changes quite a bit from day-to-day. Due to the Moon 2024 announcement recently made by Vice President Pence, everything I am doing is very new. I am a part of the office that has “formed” for the lunar campaign and my responsibilities include budgeting, fostering and maintaining partnerships (the US and international), communicating with other centers, headquarters, and internally, and architecture discussions. 

Q: You mentioned that NASA is working toward more inclusion of women, how would you say that “Hidden Figures” has played out in reality?

A: Each center has participated in its own way. Around the time of the release of the movie in 2016, there were many red carpet events and interviews of African American women currently working at NASA through a series entitled, “Modern Figures”. It hasn’t been just media and messaging, NASA is serious about putting women in places of authority. This past year, for the first time in history, the Marshall Center has named its first woman director, Jody Singer. She is now responsible for 6,000 civil servants and contracts and billions of dollars of programs. Though it has taken a long time it has been a great step in the right direction. There’s a hallway lined with portraits of all of the previous directors of the Marshall Center and all of them have been white men, beginning with Wernher von Braun in 1960. 

Q: How do those portraits make you feel? 

A: As a woman of color in this industry to be successful, I have had to shut off the discomfort and act oblivious to the lack of representation. I have walked into rooms and been the only woman and for sure the only Black person. I have had to show capability until people no longer pay attention to the “package”. At an agency of 6,000, there are only a few black women in directorial positions, their presence alone is making space for other people. 

Q: Did your race/gender impact your initial decision to work at NASA and/or go into the field in general? 

A: For me it was personality-based. I am very hard-headed, so my mentality was “I can show you better than I can tell you”. This field can be difficult because it’s harder to support people who need to feel safe. I’ve found comfort and support in other black women in the field. Mentorship is extremely important.

Q: What are your thoughts on how black women are portrayed through the history of science? Who’s narratives are chosen to be shared?

A: There isn’t a strong narrative of Black women in science. Unfortunately, I find it harder to think of a stereotype of Black women in science and I don’t have a mental image of a Black women scientist. 

Q: Do you see that changing in the near future?

A: I think it could. It’s going to take a lot of grassroots work and outreach to children at a younger age. When my daughter was in the 6th grade, she told me that math and science weren’t “her thing”. We had a conversation and figured out that she thought math and science weren’t “cool”. I think we need to reach 5th and 6th-grade girls before people begin to tell them that science isn’t their “thing”. I have reached back into my communities to mentor and work on programming for young girls and I think that’s what needs to continue to happen. We need to strategically carve out time to make space for others. 

This interview was wonderful! I am grateful to have had the opportunity to speak with Mrs. Hawkins. As a “Modern Figure,” her experiences at NASA are extremely important when thinking about the historical narratives of Black women in STEM and how they have affected how others view Black women in STEM and how women view themselves in STEM. 

Mrs. Hawkins receiving an award from Florida A&M University.

A photo from an interview conducted with "Modern Figures".