June 30

Margot Lee Shetterly is an acclaimed American author, entrepreneur, and researcher whose work has significantly reshaped public understanding of African American contributions to science, technology, and history.

Born on June 30, 1969 in Hampton, VA, Shetterly grew up in a community rich with Black intellectual and professional excellence — her father was a NASA research scientist and her mother was an English professor. This environment sparked her early awareness of the profound yet often overlooked roles African Americans played in shaping the nation’s scientific progress, an awareness that would later inspire her most influential work.

Before her emergence as a celebrated author, Shetterly built a successful career in business and media. She worked in investment banking at J.P. Morgan and later held strategic and marketing roles in the publishing and digital industries. These experiences equipped her with a sharp analytical mindset and a deep understanding of how narratives are constructed and disseminated. Her background in business gave her a unique perspective on the power of data, stories, and representation — an intersection she would explore with remarkable clarity in her writing.

Shetterly’s most transformative contribution came with the publication of her 2016 book, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. The book uncovered the remarkable stories of African American women who worked as “human computers” at NASA, performing critical calculations that enabled the United States’ early space missions. These women — Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Christine Darden, and many others — had long been left out of mainstream historical accounts, and Shetterly’s meticulous research and compelling storytelling brought them the recognition they deserved.

“Hidden Figures” became a cultural phenomenon, spending more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list and inspiring a major Hollywood film adaptation that further elevated the stories of these pioneering women. Beyond its commercial success, the book had a profound educational impact, prompting schools, museums, and institutions to reevaluate how they teach science and history. Shetterly’s work helped expand the national narrative to include voices that had been marginalized, making space for broader and more inclusive understandings of American achievement.

Through her writing and advocacy, Margot Lee Shetterly has made lasting contributions to both American business and historical scholarship. By illuminating the hidden histories of Black women in STEM, she has sparked critical conversations about race, gender, and recognition in professional spaces. Her work serves not only as a corrective to historical omission but also as an inspiration to future generations of writers, researchers, and innovators committed to telling the full story of America.