Most can agree that diversity is good, and in particular, better than its absence. But something is sincerely missing when we devote energy to creating a more diverse community without thinking deeply about what it is our community actually does. For example, I am not in the least bit interested in seeing a woman or a person of color as CEO of Lockheed Martin or Raytheon. In this case, filling a leadership position with a BIPOC/non-male/non-binary person not only has no impact on the fundamentally murderous role these companies play in the world, but even worse, it grants cover, distraction, and ligitimacy to the crimes against humanity they routinely commit. For this reason, I believe we need to sincerely ask ourselves: what is it that mathematicians actually do? How does their work and intellectual production impact human beings in the world, and how is their reputation as scientists and experts used by people in power to uphold an unjust status quo? I don't claim to know the answers, but asking these sorts of questions is what animates much of the organizing work of the Just Mathematics Collective. I will talk a bit about this work, our origins as a collective, and our ongoing campaigns.
Email na17 AT illinois DOT edu for Zoom details
