In 1949, Dorothy Vaughan became the first African American woman to lead a team at NASA's Langley Research Center. Her work as a mathematician was an important part of helping the United States explore space. Learn more about Vaughan's life as a famous mathematician! Deirdre R. J. Head has authored and co-authored numerous children's books about civil rights and African American history. She graduated from Mississippi College School of Law in 2016 and is currently working on getting a master's degree in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Aberystwyth University in Wales. She lives in Jackson, Mississippi with her husband.