Itâs Black History Month, and itâs the perfect time to learn about the unspoken heroes and innovators that arenât usually talked about during this time of the year.
Gladys West, a mathematician, worked at a naval base in Virginia, as a part of the developmental team for the Global Positioning System, what we know today as GPS, during the 1950s and 60s. Most donât know about Westâs monumental achievements.
Now you may wonder, why did something like this not get acknowledged? Well, we may never know, but we can thank Gwen James that we can finally give West the recognition she deserves. James learned about Westâs innovative work while at an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority function. The mathematicianâs bio mentions her calculations helped create the GPS.
âGPS has changed the lives of everyone forever,â James said. âThere is not a segment of this global society â military, auto industry, cell phone industry, social media, parents, NASA, etc. â that does not utilize the Global Positioning System.â
Once James found out she made it her duty to inform people about the contribution West has made to the modern GPS. Itâs nice to know that thanks to Gwen Jamesâ mission Gladys West will no longer be a hidden figure!