The times that she lived in were not particularly fair to people like her though.
The right for public education past the eight grade was non-existent for black children back then; and if not for the far-sightedness of her parents, her story would have ended right here.
Instead, she went on to attend high school on what is now the West Virginia State campus which she would graduate from at the early age of 14.
She continued to study science and mathematics in West Virginia State which qualified her for a job in the organisation that would be the predecessor to today’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Her perpetual curiosity resulted in her advancing rapidly and further up the ranks than the other women in her department.
She would later say that the lack of questioning and pure obedience to their given tasks was what kept these other women back.
“I asked questions; I wanted to know why. They got used to me asking questions and being the only woman there,” she told NASA.
During the height of the Space Race, the United States of America was fearful that the Soviet success in sending Yuri Gagarin into space would be the decisive victory needed to win the contest.
Thus, a greater achievement was planned.
The Americans needed to be the first to land on the Moon.
Armed with her great knowledge, Johnson was roped in by the team tasked with sending a man to the moon.
The struggles and sacrifices of Johnson and her fellow black colleagues, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan, ensured the success of the mission, and would later be depicted in the 2016 Oscar-nominated drama, “Hidden Figures”.
Johnson finally ended her career in NASA in 1986, departing with handfuls of accolades including the NASA Lunar Orbiter Award and three NASA Special Achievement Awards.
She has since lived a long and healthy life and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the then President of the United States, Barack Obama, whom she called her “boo”.
Her former university, West Virginia State erected a statue in honour of her and also established a scholarship fund bearing her name.
NASA too did not forget their “human computer” when they announced in February 23 of last year that a West Virginian facility would be rechristened to bear her name.
When asked about her longevity, she replied humbly, “I’m just lucky – The LORD likes me, and I like Him.”
On International Women’s Day, we salute Johnson and all women like her who stood tall in the face of adversity and contributed to humankind in ways both big and small.