Google, Douglasville Team Up For 'Hidden Figures' Party

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — It was more than just another afternoon at the movies Wednesday for a group of Douglas County students. The screening of "Hidden Figures," a film about the African-American women who quietly helped launch the U.S. space program, was meant to inspire more girls to consider tech as a career.

Google, through its Made With Code program, hosted the one-day coding event and viewing party at AMC Parkway Pointe 15.

The technology giant partnered with Douglasville Mayor Rochelle Robinson and county commission Chairwoman Romona Jackson-Jones on the "Launch Girls Into Tech" event.

Today, only 0.4 percent of female college freshmen plan to major in computer science. Google's program is designed to change that statistic.

Both Robinson and Jackson-Jones spoke at the event.

Students then participated in a coding activity, where they had the opportunity to work alongside Google team members to learn basic coding skills and develop digital messages about equality — one of the central themes of the Academy Award-nominated "Hidden Figures."

The Douglas County public school students were treated to a screening of the movie after the coding activity.

Photos courtesy Google