SIAM recognizes and honors Black mathematicians for their contributions and achievements to applied mathematics and computational science. In celebration of Black History Month, SIAM leaders share their perspectives on the importance of nurturing equity, diversity, and inclusion in our fields, and SIAM’s commitment to making that a reality.
Suzanne L. Weekes, Executive Director:
“Black History Month 2021 is here and since last February, there have been so many moments, events, and achievements that will be indelibly etched into the history books of the United States of America that center around African Americans. Most recently, many of us watched with tears of joy the inauguration of a Black woman as the first female Vice President of the United States. For me, mingled in, too, were suppressed tears from tragedies, trials, and triumphs that we have also experienced over the last year.
Black History Month forces us to step back from the dominant narrative, and to actively make the space and time to celebrate and recognize the wonderful and positive contributions of people of African descent in our society. As the Executive Director of SIAM, it is personally and professionally important to me that SIAM is an association and a community that listens, learns, and respects the work and experience of our Black colleagues and students and welcomes us at every table. We will broaden our reach and introduce an even more diverse group of people to applied mathematics, computational science, modeling, and data science, while nurturing and retaining talent already a part of the SIAM community.”
Susanne Brenner, President: “The active participation of all stakeholders is vital to the success of SIAM. This can only be ensured by a proactive policy of inclusiveness. We are currently working on initiatives that will include more Black applied mathematicians in the SIAM family. I look forward to working with many of these colleagues during my term as SIAM President.”
Margot Gerritsen, Chair of the Board of Trustees: “Black History Month is the wonderful annual celebration of achievements by people of African descent and the important role that they have played in U.S. history and culture. In the world of SIAM, we highlight the outstanding work in industrial and applied mathematics done by our colleagues of the African diaspora, and we spotlight their contributions to our field, now and in the past.
My strong desire as board chair is to help SIAM become a truly welcoming and inclusive community where we support, inspire, educate and promote everyone, regardless of ethnicity, race, cultural background, or any other ways we identify ourselves. We need to understand the barriers that members of the Black community may experience to joining and thriving in SIAM and remove those. We need to make sure that our Black colleagues are seen, heard, and supported.”
Susan Minkoff, Secretary: “To me, Black History Month is a time to remember the many ways in which African Americans have overcome enormous barriers to contribute to all aspects of American society and culture, including mathematics. As SIAM Secretary, I chair the Committee on Committees and Appointments which makes recommendations to the SIAM President about who should serve on many SIAM committees – from the Education Committee to the Industry Committee to the Gene Golub Summer School Committee, to name only three. We are especially interested in ensuring that the makeup of the committees is diverse and that we, as a Society, hear and incorporate viewpoints from as many different groups as possible. SIAM benefits from a diversity of viewpoints and opinions.”
Kathleen Kavanagh, Vice President for Education: “For me personally, Black History Month is an opportunity to showcase and celebrate the achievements of African Americans and highlight role models, especially in fields such as STEM where there is less diverse representation. It also pushes everyone to learn more about the impact of racism and challenges us to be stronger advocates.
SIAM has a strong history of organizing sessions and conference events to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion. As VP for Education, I look for ways to provide access to pathways in mathematics and to improve diversity, starting with K-12 outreach programs. One program SIAM organizes is Mathworks Math Modeling Challenge, which provides college scholarships. What sets this program apart from others is that it is free to participate, and all training and resource materials are open access for teachers to provide entry points into math modeling for all of their students. SIAM reaches out to nearly every high school in the country to encourage participation and to reach a diverse pool of students and teachers.”
Ron Buckmire, Vice President for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: “Black History Month is important to me because I am a strong believer in honoring those who have come before and knowing history. One of my favorite classes to teach is History of Mathematics and I love Black History Month because it provides so many opportunities to learn more about Black pioneers in so many areas of life, including in mathematics.
I have been very heartened by the positive reaction to SIAM’s announcement about the creation of the SIAM VP for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion position and my appointment to it. My primary goal as VP for EDI is to help maintain and promote SIAM as the leading national mathematics organization in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the mathematics community. There are some EDI initiatives in the works and coming out later this year that will support this claim. Stay tuned!
I heard Professor Anthony Bonato (of Ryerson University in Canada) recently say: "Diversity is a fact, Inclusion is a choice." What I think this saying means is that it is a fact of the human condition that there will always be differences (and, thus, diversity) when you have a group of people gathered together. Whether or not everyone will feel welcome in that space is a choice made by the organizers and participants to create conditions where everyone feels included. I have adapted the saying to: "Diversity is a Fact, Inclusion is a Choice, Equity & Justice are the Goals." I'm hoping that people can move beyond appreciating diversity and inclusion in one month of the year, to embrace the broader concepts of equity and justice, every day of the year.”
James G. Nagy, Vice President for Programs: “I would like SIAM to use Black History Month as an opportunity to specially recognize and promote the amazing work of our Black colleagues; to make sure we all remember their continuous struggles against racism; and to encourage us to look around with open eyes to really see how seriously underrepresented they are in applied mathematics.
I am motivated by Mellody Hobson’s Ted Talk, where she says: “I’m asking you not to be color blind, but to be color brave,” and I think about what “color brave” means to me. As a Mathematics Department Chair it means that I need to do more to actively recruit, mentor, and broaden opportunities for Black students and colleagues at all stages. As SIAM VP for Programs, it means that I need to make sure that SIAM Conferences are welcoming environments for people of all backgrounds; that conference organizers are inclusive in who they invite as plenary speakers, organizers of featured mini-symposia, and tutorials; and it means that I should champion many more SIAM Conference activities to help broaden opportunities and promote diversity in our profession. An excellent example was the panel discussion on "Strategies for Promoting Diversity and Inclusion within our Profession" that took place at the 2019 SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering. Conversations such as these should not happen occasionally, but they should be regular SIAM events.”
Howard Elman, Vice President for Publications: “I believe it is important that the history and experience of all individuals be recognized and valued. By calling attention to Black culture and experience, Black History Month helps promote an understanding of traditions and history in ways that benefit everyone. At SIAM, we are aware of historical inequities in opportunities for people in underrepresented communities and using both official instruments such as the Diversity Advisory Committee and, equally important, discussion and sensitivity to the needs for increased diversity in all aspects of STEM, we strive to provide an inclusive environment that fosters individual potential and growth.”
Keep an eye out this month for more on an exciting new partnership with Mathematically Gifted & Black, as well as profiles of influential Black mathematicians who are doing great things.
Resources
Below are some resources and networks that may be of interest to Black mathematicians of all ages.