COMMUNITY SPACE

This reading group is organized by Catherine Cannizzo, Lea Kenigsberg, Inbar Klang, Hiro Lee Tanaka, and Sara Venkatesh in an effort to learn about anti-Black racism in academia and the context under which it operates. We will consider our role in maintaining the status quo and how we can be active anti-racist allies. We will put this knowledge into concrete action items we hope to implement in the long and short term.

Our goals

Study the history of racism.
Study the prevalence and impact of institutionalized racism and gatekeeping in academia and math.
Understand how race, as a modality of power, has shaped what is considered to be knowledge and how racism in America is perpetuated by institutions and power structures that go beyond the individual.
Consider our role in anti-Black racism e.g. via inaction, and how academia sustains white supremacy.
Research the ways in which we can take action to counteract racism. Identify areas for change in research, teaching, and mentorship and come up with tangible short and long term goals.

Structure

We would like to engage with a community of mathematicians who care and are committed to the cause. The meetings will include self-reflection exercises and group discussions facilitated by conversation prompts. Having a consistent group to do this work with is important and we therefore ask that you attend as regularly as you can.

The organizers will list some resources and reading material for each meeting but we welcome contributions and suggestions by the participants. We strongly suggest that you do the required reading, viewing, and listening.

We plan to wrap up the reading group by writing a commitment to improve racial equity in our department and in our personal lives. We hope to establish a community and culture of accountability and a space where we can check-in with each other's progress periodically.

Date and Time

We met on Tuesdays at 8PM-9:15PM ET. (RSVP link)

Ground Rules

We ask that everyone abide by the guidelines below from Awareness Activities, an EdChange project:

Listen actively -- respect others when they are talking.
Speak from your own experience instead of generalizing ("I" instead of "they," "we," and "you").
Do not be afraid to respectfully challenge one another by asking questions, but refrain from personal attacks -- focus on ideas.
Participate to the fullest of your ability -- community growth depends on the inclusion of every individual voice.
Instead of invalidating somebody else's story with your own spin on their experience, share your own story and experience.
The goal is not to agree -- it is to gain a deeper understanding.
Be conscious of body language and nonverbal responses -- they can be as disrespectful as words.

Schedule: July 2020 - November 2021

Here is a GCal you may add to your own calendar

November 30th: Transition from reading group to community space

We are converting the reading group into a more informal community space where we can brainstorm ways to advocate for students of color in math academia. We will continue to hold occasional meetings and maintain the space for discussions, while reducing the reading load. To receive meeting announcements please RSVP here .

Some SGA organizers plan to read The crest of the peacock: The non-european roots of mathematics and Mathematics for social justice: Resources for the college classroom in an effort to present more inclusive examples and historical context in lectures. However we have not read these yet and we are not formally assigning them.

We look forward to hearing about your readings, DEI work, and anything else you want to brainstorm with us. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday November 30th at 8pm-9:15pm ET.

September & October

We are on hiatus for the months of September and October, and encourage reading group members to register for the workshop Graduates Achieving Inclusion Now (GAIN).