Benjamin Banneker Association Call for Nominations for the 2018 Board of Directors Election Do you know someone who would bring valuable experience, perspective, and judgment to the Benjamin Banneker Association Board of Directors? We are looking for a broad representation of the Banneker membership to enrich board discussions, inquiries, and decisions. Help the Nominations and Elections Committee identify talented, energetic individuals who are interested in serving as leaders in The Benjamin Banneker Association! To nominate yourself or a colleague, please complete and submit the Call for Nominations form to Latrenda Knighten, Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee at ldknighten@bbamath.org by March 1, 2018. Open Positions:

• President-Elect – Qualifications: A member to be eligible for the office of President-Elect must have been a voting member of The Association for at least two years and shall have served on the Board of Directors of The Association.
• Secretary – Qualifications: A member to be eligible for the Office of Secretary must have been a voting member of The Association for at least one year.
• Regional Directors – Qualifications: A member to be eligible for the position of Regional Director must have been a voting member of The Association for at least one year and must reside in the region at the time of nomination. Three Regional Directors are to be elected for the 2018 Election:
  • West – Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington
  • Southeast – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Caribbean Islands
  • North Central – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Eastern Canada (Central and Eastern Time Zones)

Proposed Nominations and Elections Timeline:

February 1, 2018	Nominations period opens
March 1, 2018	Nominee applications due
March 2 – 9, 2018	Committee reviews nominee applications, selects ballot and submits to BBA Board for approval
March 16 – April 16, 2018	Online Voting Period
April 16, 2018 (midnight)	Web voting closes
Week of April 23, 2018	Results announced at Annual Meeting

 

The research team headed by Dr. Toya Jones Frank at George Mason University is recruiting for their nation-wide study on Black math teachers’ experiences. They are seeking K-12 teachers of mathematics who identify as Black/African American to participate in a 15-minute survey about their teaching experiences. They will randomly select individual participants to receive one of 500 $25 Amazon e-gift cards, distributed once the survey closes.

Please visit the following link for more details and to participate in the study: http://bit.ly/2CEvBA9 . For more information about the larger study, please visit www.trajectorystudy.com, and feel free to spread the word.

Retired Teachers:  The team is gearing up for interviews with retired teachers, and would love to make contact with you in the near future. Please contact them soon, as several interviews are set to be completed this spring.

Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education, Central Connecticut State University,

https://hrat.ccsu.edu/index.php?job=240

 

Assistant Professor – School of Teacher Education, University of Wyoming

http://bbamath.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/University-of-Wyoming-Assistant-Professor-Elementary-Mathematics-Position.pdf

Implementing a Social Justice Curriculum:  Practices to Support the Participation and Success of African-American Students in Mathematics

Download the position statement

October 26, 2017

I received an email this afternoon with a subject line which read, “Unleashing Problem Solvers”.  Intrigued by this title, I quickly scanned the first paragraph, then stopped as my thoughts turned to the true complexity of the problems educators and students face. We recognize problems exist in our country’s educational system, and most will admit injustice – particularly as it relates to race and culture – is still very prevalent in our institutions and society. Ironically, when individuals attempt to “unleash” their problem-solving abilities in this area, their efforts are often rejected as if there are quantitative and qualitative limitations for questioning systematic injustice.

 

Mathematics teachers and teacher educators have spent many years encouraging students to believe that there are many ways to approach/solve problems. As I think about problem-solving, I reflect upon the teaching of my mentor, Beatrice Moore-Luchin, who always articulates that the first step of solving any problem is to simply understand and re-state the facts. I have heard many educators wonder aloud about the necessity of discussing problems related to race and culture within the context of school, but if we are inviting people to become problem solvers, the name alone validates the fact that these problems do exist.

 

I understand Dr. Rochelle Gutierrez has been wrongfully vilified this week, and her credibility unjustly called into question based on purposely misconstrued conversations about white privilege and its authenticated impact on the teaching and learning of mathematics. I understand that at the very core of this tough, yet delicate discussion lies facts; the facts are that mathematics has largely been perceived as a predominately white, and predominately male field in the United States of America. Not unlike other careers and fields of study, mathematics and the learning of mathematics is often devoid of the contributions and appreciation for the multicultural participants.

 

As an example, recognizing Kathryn Johnson and even identifying brilliant women of color as “Hidden Figures” 50 years after they made amazing contributions to mathematics and science is very telling of where we are in our poorly-described “honest dialogue” about these issues. I would be ignorant to believe that because I and others have been successful in academia, particularly mathematics, that there lies no fault in or with the system.

 

We have often celebrated having a seat at the table, but it seems we should revisit the rules of etiquette involved for two parties agreeably entering a discussion in such settings. Inviting someone to your table only to force feed them your ideologies is no better than not allowing them to have a seat at all. The facts tell us that when certain “problems” exceed a sense of familiarity or resonance with some people, their tolerance for finding solutions to the problems sharply declines. Moreover, we are told the problem simply does not exist. In that case, a dissonance occurs between an individual’s truth and the facts.  If we have any hope of bridging this chasm, it will not be found by muzzling the voices of the true problem solvers.

 

It is to this end that the Benjamin Banneker Association, Inc. stands with Dr. Rochelle Gutierrez, as well as every individual and organization choosing to support factual and actionable solutions to very real problems.

Sincerely,

 

Brea C. Ratliff

President, Benjamin Banneker Association, Inc.

Official letter:BBA Supports Dr. Gutierrez