Conversations for the Mathematics Community

• When you are asked to nominate your students and faculty colleagues for awards or leadership positions, your first instinct is to nominate those that are "stellar" (mostly men) and obviously "white." It doesn't occur to you that you are implicitly supporting a logic of meritocracy that is built on this racist assumption that everyone has had the same access and opportunities.

This has been something I have witnessed from colleagues firsthand, and struggled with in my own recommendations for department awards for majors.  The idea of math as meritocarcy is so internalized, it can be hard to shake.  But as the author states, it ignores the very different opportunities and encouragement that students receive as a result of their background.

While the piece was about higher education in general, many aspects are especially relevant for math.  It empahsizes that power exists with faculty and administration, and that if we really want to change the culture in our field, it is on those of us in those roles to use that power.  This means not just agreeing and empathizing with colleagues and students from under-represented groups, but taking action to support them and promote inclusion in general; in department meetings, in the classroom, in who receives those awards described above, and more.

Ben

• When you are asked to nominate your students and faculty colleagues for awards or leadership positions, your first instinct is to nominate those that are "stellar" (mostly men) and obviously "white." It doesn't occur to you that you are implicitly supporting a logic of meritocracy that is built on this racist assumption that everyone has had the same access and opportunities.

This has been something I have witnessed from colleagues firsthand, and struggled with in my own recommendations for department awards for majors.  The idea of math as meritocarcy is so internalized, it can be hard to shake.  But as the author states, it ignores the very different opportunities and encouragement that students receive as a result of their background.

While the piece was about higher education in general, many aspects are especially relevant for math.  It empahsizes that power exists with faculty and administration, and that if we really want to change the culture in our field, it is on those of us in those roles to use that power.  This means not just agreeing and empathizing with colleagues and students from under-represented groups, but taking action to support them and promote inclusion in general; in department meetings, in the classroom, in who receives those awards described above, and more.

Ben

I read this article as well, since it was one I had not seen before. This item from the checklist stands out for me:

You work in a position of power in a predominantly white institution, and while you claim to be working for social justice, you do nothing to change the white supremacist power structures within your departments, committees and institutional decision-making process. 

I am working hard on recognizing white supremacist behaviors and norms at all levels in my institution (including in my teaching), and feel I still have a long way to go before these become more obvious to me. I would like to not have to rely on BIPOC colleagues to call these out, yet since I am less directly affected (or perhaps even privileged) by these practices, it is easier to just not notice. This is one of my growth edges, to continually be on alert to notice and then also call out white supremacy in action. 

• When you are asked to nominate your students and faculty colleagues for awards or leadership positions, your first instinct is to nominate those that are "stellar" (mostly men) and obviously "white." It doesn't occur to you that you are implicitly supporting a logic of meritocracy that is built on this racist assumption that everyone has had the same access and opportunities.

This has been something I have witnessed from colleagues firsthand, and struggled with in my own recommendations for department awards for majors.  The idea of math as meritocarcy is so internalized, it can be hard to shake.  But as the author states, it ignores the very different opportunities and encouragement that students receive as a result of their background.

While the piece was about higher education in general, many aspects are especially relevant for math.  It empahsizes that power exists with faculty and administration, and that if we really want to change the culture in our field, it is on those of us in those roles to use that power.  This means not just agreeing and empathizing with colleagues and students from under-represented groups, but taking action to support them and promote inclusion in general; in department meetings, in the classroom, in who receives those awards described above, and more.

Ben

I read this article as well, since it was one I had not seen before. This item from the checklist stands out for me:

You work in a position of power in a predominantly white institution, and while you claim to be working for social justice, you do nothing to change the white supremacist power structures within your departments, committees and institutional decision-making process. 

I am working hard on recognizing white supremacist behaviors and norms at all levels in my institution (including in my teaching), and feel I still have a long way to go before these become more obvious to me. I would like to not have to rely on BIPOC colleagues to call these out, yet since I am less directly affected (or perhaps even privileged) by these practices, it is easier to just not notice. This is one of my growth edges, to continually be on alert to notice and then also call out white supremacy in action. 

• When you are asked to nominate your students and faculty colleagues for awards or leadership positions, your first instinct is to nominate those that are "stellar" (mostly men) and obviously "white." It doesn't occur to you that you are implicitly supporting a logic of meritocracy that is built on this racist assumption that everyone has had the same access and opportunities.

This has been something I have witnessed from colleagues firsthand, and struggled with in my own recommendations for department awards for majors.  The idea of math as meritocarcy is so internalized, it can be hard to shake.  But as the author states, it ignores the very different opportunities and encouragement that students receive as a result of their background.

While the piece was about higher education in general, many aspects are especially relevant for math.  It empahsizes that power exists with faculty and administration, and that if we really want to change the culture in our field, it is on those of us in those roles to use that power.  This means not just agreeing and empathizing with colleagues and students from under-represented groups, but taking action to support them and promote inclusion in general; in department meetings, in the classroom, in who receives those awards described above, and more.

Ben

• When you are asked to nominate your students and faculty colleagues for awards or leadership positions, your first instinct is to nominate those that are "stellar" (mostly men) and obviously "white." It doesn't occur to you that you are implicitly supporting a logic of meritocracy that is built on this racist assumption that everyone has had the same access and opportunities.

This has been something I have witnessed from colleagues firsthand, and struggled with in my own recommendations for department awards for majors.  The idea of math as meritocarcy is so internalized, it can be hard to shake.  But as the author states, it ignores the very different opportunities and encouragement that students receive as a result of their background.

While the piece was about higher education in general, many aspects are especially relevant for math.  It empahsizes that power exists with faculty and administration, and that if we really want to change the culture in our field, it is on those of us in those roles to use that power.  This means not just agreeing and empathizing with colleagues and students from under-represented groups, but taking action to support them and promote inclusion in general; in department meetings, in the classroom, in who receives those awards described above, and more.

Ben

I also read "Are You Supporting White Supremacy?"  Like Ben, the checklist made me think about the ways my silence on certain issues upholds the status quo.  I've witnessed plenty of things that aren't okay and pushing back on them hasn't always gone well.  In the past, I've internally let myself off the hook since I'm junior faculty and have low rank within our power structure, but I've grown increasingly uncomfortable with this.  Instead of making big waves, I've tried to do the work more quietly or with smaller groups of people with higher status.  (For example, I was able to help initiate some positive changes in how we conduct our faculty searches at the departmental level.) And while this strategy has accomplished things, I can't help but think of Desmond Tutu's quote about being neutral in situations of injustice when I remain quiet.  I think I/we sometimes opt out of engaging in these conversations in the moment for fear of rocking the boat but by doing so we are being complicit in upholding the systematic problems within our departments/colleges/universities or other spaces.  

The item in the checklist that hit me the hardest was "When your colleagues and students claim that they experienced microaggressions, your response is 'I am so sorry. This is unbelievable!'"  While I don't have a memory of exactly that happening, it makes me wonder the ways in which I have failed to support some of the graduate students I have mentored within my department. I typically lend a sympathetic ear and try to help them navigate the situation rather than using my power to address how the situation came to be in the first place. (Showing how to get around the obstacle rather than working to remove the obstacle, thus putting additional burden on the student.).  I hadn't directly thought of it this way before reading the article.    

• When you are asked to nominate your students and faculty colleagues for awards or leadership positions, your first instinct is to nominate those that are "stellar" (mostly men) and obviously "white." It doesn't occur to you that you are implicitly supporting a logic of meritocracy that is built on this racist assumption that everyone has had the same access and opportunities.

This has been something I have witnessed from colleagues firsthand, and struggled with in my own recommendations for department awards for majors.  The idea of math as meritocarcy is so internalized, it can be hard to shake.  But as the author states, it ignores the very different opportunities and encouragement that students receive as a result of their background.

While the piece was about higher education in general, many aspects are especially relevant for math.  It empahsizes that power exists with faculty and administration, and that if we really want to change the culture in our field, it is on those of us in those roles to use that power.  This means not just agreeing and empathizing with colleagues and students from under-represented groups, but taking action to support them and promote inclusion in general; in department meetings, in the classroom, in who receives those awards described above, and more.

Ben

• When you are asked to nominate your students and faculty colleagues for awards or leadership positions, your first instinct is to nominate those that are "stellar" (mostly men) and obviously "white." It doesn't occur to you that you are implicitly supporting a logic of meritocracy that is built on this racist assumption that everyone has had the same access and opportunities.

This has been something I have witnessed from colleagues firsthand, and struggled with in my own recommendations for department awards for majors.  The idea of math as meritocarcy is so internalized, it can be hard to shake.  But as the author states, it ignores the very different opportunities and encouragement that students receive as a result of their background.

While the piece was about higher education in general, many aspects are especially relevant for math.  It empahsizes that power exists with faculty and administration, and that if we really want to change the culture in our field, it is on those of us in those roles to use that power.  This means not just agreeing and empathizing with colleagues and students from under-represented groups, but taking action to support them and promote inclusion in general; in department meetings, in the classroom, in who receives those awards described above, and more.

Ben