5 ms·

Do we get a little black bar on the site for her?

nexuist 7y ago
I wish there was some sort of official guidelines on when the black bar is appropriate. There is no doubt that Mrs. Johnson helped accelerate the field of computer science and legitimized its existence, as not just a branch of mathematics, but a whole new field on its own. The bigger question is, is that what the black bar is for?
- throwaway123x2 7y ago
  I'm not sure, but we usually see it for pioneers in the field and in my opinion she certainly qualifies.
  - starpilot 7y ago
    She was a pioneer in civil rights and advancing social mores. There's no question she has made great contributions to humanity. But in computing, she was one of numerous analysts performing calculations as part of a massive, sprawling government program. Millions of engineers, scientists, and mathematicians have died since and we honor very few of them. I admire Johnson enormously but her work in math is not what distinguishes her.
    - elliekelly 7y ago
      I'm curious why you think her work in math is separate and distinct from her work in advancing equality? I think her mathematics work alone distinguishes her but even if you don't, why do you not view her social contributions to the field as worthy of recognition? Jackie Robinson was a great baseball player but his contributions to the game extend far beyond how he performed on the field.
- elliekelly 7y ago
  The guidance I've always seen is that the black bar is added "when someone important to the HN community dies". And I agree with the commenter you're replying to, Katherine Johnson and her work certainly qualify as important to the HN community.
_fs 7y ago
Nope, she's not a venture capitalist, so this site couldn't care less.
- BoorishBears 7y ago
  No no no. She's not a white guy who hung around with the white guys of "classic HN", so this site couldn't care less. Silicon Valley was not always an accessible place for people who are not white males, people who lectured you at Stamford in the 80s shouldn't be the only people represented in mourning: https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/10/east-of-palo-altos-eden/amp/ https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/10/east-of-palo-altos-eden/am...

I wish there was some sort of official guidelines on when the black bar is appropriate. There is no doubt that Mrs. Johnson helped accelerate the field of computer science and legitimized its existence, as not just a branch of mathematics, but a whole new field on its own. The bigger question is, is that what the black bar is for?

throwaway123x2 7y ago
I'm not sure, but we usually see it for pioneers in the field and in my opinion she certainly qualifies.
- starpilot 7y ago
  She was a pioneer in civil rights and advancing social mores. There's no question she has made great contributions to humanity. But in computing, she was one of numerous analysts performing calculations as part of a massive, sprawling government program. Millions of engineers, scientists, and mathematicians have died since and we honor very few of them. I admire Johnson enormously but her work in math is not what distinguishes her.
  - elliekelly 7y ago
    I'm curious why you think her work in math is separate and distinct from her work in advancing equality? I think her mathematics work alone distinguishes her but even if you don't, why do you not view her social contributions to the field as worthy of recognition? Jackie Robinson was a great baseball player but his contributions to the game extend far beyond how he performed on the field.
elliekelly 7y ago
The guidance I've always seen is that the black bar is added "when someone important to the HN community dies". And I agree with the commenter you're replying to, Katherine Johnson and her work certainly qualify as important to the HN community.

_fs 7y ago

Nope, she's not a venture capitalist, so this site couldn't care less.

BoorishBears 7y ago
No no no. She's not a white guy who hung around with the white guys of "classic HN", so this site couldn't care less. Silicon Valley was not always an accessible place for people who are not white males, people who lectured you at Stamford in the 80s shouldn't be the only people represented in mourning: https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/10/east-of-palo-altos-eden/amp/ https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/10/east-of-palo-altos-eden/am...