My friend Max Lahn has put together some ground rules for conduct that they strive to uphold. They have kindly allowed me to put their ground rules here, a large portion of which is shown below. Including myself, we should all work to uphold these rules to make mathematics more inclusive.
We all (both mathematicians, non-mathematicians, and people in-between) come from different places, place ourselves within different communities, and bring different experiences to the classroom. This means that we must all be cognizant of how our actions affect each other in ways that they don't affect ourselves. We must agree to:
Hold ourselves and those around us accountable to confronting our implicit biases. Interrogate and repudiate the false but prevalent idea that some groups of people, whether based on race, gender, or other identities, are better suited to or more deserving of doing math than others.
Be aware of and work to repair the extensive history of systemic exclusion of non-white and non-male people from mainstream academic mathematics. Recognize that this practice of exclusion thrives in math departments around the country, and act accordingly by actively listening to, advocating for, and supporting members of un(der)represented groups in mathematics.
We are all deserving of knowledge, and we all learn better when we all learn better. This means that in learning environments like classrooms, problem-solving sessions, and mentoring relationships, we must all consciously shape our actions to help our collective academic pursuits. We must agree to:
Actively listen to and believe our students, peers, & mentors when they speak to their own experiences. If our voices are given preference over others, interrogate this practice, and use our privilege to benefit those whose voices are not being heard and/or listened to.
Foster a culture of embracing and encouraging productive failure as a healthy and necessary part of the learning process in our mathematics classrooms. Work together to create an environment in which those who are having difficulty are comfortable admitting this and are eager to seek help.