Category Archives: social justice

This Post will Self-Destruct

I’ve been working on part two of my last post, but it’s been slow going and painful. I’ve been trying to understand things that have happened to me, understand how to situate current struggles within the longer narrative of my … Continue reading

Posted in racism, social justice, social media | 1 Comment

I want to quit my job part 1

I’ve sat on this post for a while, not sure what to do. It began as a letter to my students, but it didn’t read as one. It wasn’t exactly helpful to my students and would probably just bring them … Continue reading

Posted in equity, inclusive pedagogy, mathematics experiences, mental health, racism, social justice, supporting students | 5 Comments

A Spectrum of Dehumanizing Other People from jokes to Manzanar and Atlanta

Guest post by Stan Yoshinobu Violence and harassment against Asian Americans is on the rise, stoked by angry, divisive words used by political leaders. In the past year during the pandemic, 3800 incidents were reported (Link). In January, Vicha Ratanapakdee, … Continue reading

Posted in minorities in math, racism, sexism, social justice | 1 Comment

Towards a Fully Inclusive Mathematics Profession

The AMS recently published a report on the historical role of the society in racism and exclusion in mathematics. The task force responsible for this report was chaired by Kasso Okoudjou and Francis Su, and the other members were Tasha … Continue reading

Posted in equity, racism, social justice | Comments Off on Towards a Fully Inclusive Mathematics Profession

What is… a four-part apology?

Last week, the AMS announced the “Fellowship for a Black Mathematician”. If you were on Twitter this past weekend, you are probably aware of the outcry that ensued. In return, there were many mea culpas, some half apologies, a few … Continue reading

Posted in apologies, equity, social justice | 1 Comment

Oh my heart

You’ve broken my heart for the last time. That’s what I want to tell white America, but I know it’s not true. My heart will be broken by you over and over and over again before I die. You’ve broken … Continue reading

Posted in Black Lives Matter, equity, ethics, joint mathematics meetings, policing, racism, social justice | Comments Off on Oh my heart

Towards a Mathematics Beyond Police and Prisons

Guest post by The Just Mathematics Collective The October 2020 issue of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society contained an open letter calling on the mathematics community to boycott collaborations with police and demanding, in particular, that we stop … Continue reading

Posted in AMS Notices, Black Lives Matter, ethics, policing, racism, social justice | 5 Comments

Can mathematics be antiracist?

In 2017, mathematics education professor Rochelle Gutiérrez wrote that “mathematics operates as whiteness.” Word of this spread quickly, leading to a strong backlash of hate mail and offensive comments on Gutiérrez’s social media [1]. This soundbite is often quoted without … Continue reading

Posted in equity, hiring, intersectionality, math education, social justice, transparency in teaching | 2 Comments

Round-Up of JMM 2020 Sessions on Issues of Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice

Post by Editor Luis Leyva The 2020 Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM) will be held on January 15-18, 2020 in Denver, CO. As per tradition, this pre-JMM blog post highlights scheduled sessions with talks focused on issues of diversity, equity, and … Continue reading

Posted in conferences, joint mathematics meetings, social justice | 3 Comments

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statements in the hiring process

With the publication of the December edition of the AMS Notices this week, equity-minded mathematicians have once again taken time out of our busy lives to respond to an editorial by AMS Vice President Abigail Thompson. In it, Thompson suggests … Continue reading

Posted in equity, hiring, participation, social justice | 17 Comments