MathFest in Tampa: a Different Perspective
Dr. Alicia Prieto-Langarica
I want to start by saying that if you are a member of a marginalized group and you feel like traveling to Florida (or any other state) will put you in harm's way, I understand your anger at the decision to host MathFest in Tampa. In no way do I want to undermine or dismiss your feelings. I am writing to offer a perspective that we might not have considered.
If you have never experienced marginalization by the community you call home, I ask that for a moment you put yourself in the shoes of a person from a marginalized group currently living in the state of Florida. If you know me, you might know that as a Mexican immigrant living in Northeast Ohio, I am made to feel unwelcome in most of the spaces where I exist, complete with constant reminders of the common lack of fondness for “people like me.”
This hostility has always been there yet became a lot more visible during the 2015-2016 election cycle, where verbal and physical attacks to LGBTQ+ individuals, hijab-wearing women, black and brown people, immigrants, and people from other marginalized groups became common (again). These occurrences happened to my students, some to my friends, some to myself. As extremists continue their efforts to create division within our country, hatred has inflated this hostility to deadly violence, and many marginalized Americans live in fear.
I, however, hold a lot of privilege as a full professor, and a financially stable, highly-educated individual who can decide to continue her career elsewhere. Because of these privileges, my presence in these hostile spaces makes a difference. I am often the first Mexican my students have ever met: I am a direct challenge to what the media they consume has taught them a Mexican is “supposed” to be. I believe some (but definitely not all) of the hostility towards marginalized communities comes from a lack of exposure to different cultures and groups, and biased representations in the media.
I know that many of us may feel great discomfort visiting Florida, or might not even feel safe. I know a great number of wonderful people in the mathematical community who constantly seek to read and learn more about the experiences of marginalized people, but who might not be marginalized themselves. As a light-skinned, almost white passing Mexican woman, I will never understand the experience of Black women in America, no matter how much I read about it and listen to friends. One thing is clear: there are no safe havens for Black and Indigenous people in this country. However, existing in places that are hostile to my presence gives me a little glimpse of what my Black friends have to go through every day.
This leads me to the point of this blog. Not every member of the MAA is a member of a marginalized group. In fact, as in most scientific associations in this country, most are not. As members of a privileged class, we need to know that with great power comes great responsibility (shout out to Stan Lee). The presence of the MAA in places like Tampa, Florida is, in itself, a power statement. But it is also a huge opportunity to disrupt this space (shout out to math Twitter!). As a collective, we may think, reflect, and act on ways in which we can make a positive and impactful statement in Tampa.
When I read about the pushback to the MAA for scheduling MathFest 2023 in Tampa, I agreed with many of the arguments, and I continue to support most of these arguments. However, I am also concerned about the voices of people we are not hearing from: the black, brown, indigenous, LGBTQ+, women, etc. that live in Florida and who are already or may want to one day join the community of mathematicians. I hope to see space for Tampa-based direct service organizations who serve these communities represented at MAA MathFest this year, and in the future.*
What will the message be to those people if the MAA decides not to hold a meeting in a place like this? The MAA is a national organization: we need to be present in all spaces and provide representation of and support for all mathematicians. Attending MathFest in Tampa is an incredible opportunity to join and collaborate with local groups and organizations serving these marginalized communities. We can make a powerful change by taking this time before MathFest to start such collaborations and hear from people on the ground what we can do to help.
Imagine a week of activities where we focus on different things that challenge the status quo. We can show how to use mathematics to assess the damage to women's health that can come from abortion bans (shout out to my friend Imelda Flores who did this in Texas). We can show the faces of Black, brown and LGBTQ+ mathematicians in positions of prominence and power (like supporting MGB, Lathisms and Spectra if they choose to do something in Tampa). Imagine visiting K-12 institutions and establishing collaborations to bring important voices to the classrooms, or even better, talking with them and together finding ways that we can contribute.
A good example of the possibilities is what happened at SACNAS 2018 which was held in San Antonio, Texas. The situation was similar: California public institutions did not pay travel expenses to this conference, and Texas passed anti transgender people laws and abortion restrictions. The same controversies arose. However, all-gender bathrooms were installed for the conference and 7,000+ scientists of color made an impact just by being there.
I thank you, in advance, for your openness to receiving these ideas and welcome all thoughtful responses. After all, we share values and goals, and our own fight cannot be complete until equity and justice is achieved for all.
*MAA is currently in conversations with local organizations in the Tampa area who serve BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ populations. If you are familiar with organizations we may not have reached out to, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Acknowledgement: The author wants to thank the following people for helping edit and bounce ideas with: Dr. Selenne Banuelos, Dr. Kellie Kirksey, Dr. Marco Martinez, Ms. Julie Seitz, Dr. Stephanie Salomon, Dr. Cynthia Wyels and Dr. Malena Espanol.
Dr. Alicia Prieto Langarica is a professor of mathematics at Youngstown State University and one of the Associate Directors for Project NExT.