If I babysat a math PhD who married a Math PhD, one of 4 Black Math PhD graduates from University of Mississippi, I will do well on the GRE when it’s time to get my own PhD, right?
Probably not. But am I honored to know young math movers and shakers who can be role models for my students? AB SO LUTELY.
A lot of the Black History resources I have shared this month point us not so much to a sepia past, but a bright and colorful future, with more young people from the Black community making great strides in maths and sciences. Exposing your students and children to these role models will broaden their horizons in a way that no look at the past can. While knowing our past is hugely important, people doing great things now will give them templates to reach new heights in the future.
Here are the latest role models in this series:
Here are more on the website mentioned:
Mathematically Gifted and Black
Here are the playwright and singer mentioned in the podcast:
And here is the song Nina Simone wrote with poet Weldon Irvine honoring Lorraine Hansberry. This version is by Donny Hathaway.