What is your current field of research?
My research is situated in the sub-field of critical mathematics education and seeks to serve Black (including Sub-Saharan Africans) youth in educational contexts. I do this within mathematics education where I explore ways to ensure that Black youth thrive in their mathematics learning. In other words, I question the role of space, place, power, identity, and other sociocultural and sociopolitical factors that might impede learning for Black youth. I also consider how mathematics can be harnessed as a space to discuss issues of (in)justice and African Indigenous Knowledges in mathematics. Guiding my work are decolonial theories, Black studies, Black geography alongside critical and participatory methodologies to ensure an ethic of care and reciprocity in my work.
More recently, I have been thinking about the role visual media (tv shows and movies) plays on (mis)representing Black youth’s capabilities in mathematics. Contrast this to the 80s sitcom, A Different World, which showed the ordinariness of a young Black man (Dwayne) who loved mathematics – a type of Black livingness as Katherine McKittrick would name it. I am grateful for the chance to pursue this line of questioning currently through the York Black Seed Grant I was awarded in 2022.
What inspired you to specialize in this line of research?
I have loved and enjoyed mathematics for a very long time. I moved to the United States in 2002 to pursue my undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics and began noticing the low numbers of Black students in my courses. The numbers continued to be subside through my Masters and PhD programs and the subtle or overtly racist comments I experienced. If my memory serves me right, I was the second Black woman to graduate from my masters program in Applied Mathematics (2009) and the first Black woman to graduate from my PhD program in mathematics education (2020). I do not believe I have exceptional abilities in mathematics, but I grew up in a country that was racially homogenous thus, my race was not a factor in determining who belonged in mathematics (though my gender identification definitely mattered in Nigeria). I deeply love Black youth and want to support them through my research and other avenues by reminding them that they matter and that they belong in mathematics (and any other space of their choosing).
What impact do you want your work to have on society?
I dream of a world where Black (and other racialized) youth are given opportunities to learn rich and meaningful mathematics instead of being counted out. I hope my work normalizes the ordinariness of Black youth doing mathematics and hope to be able to cultivate spaces that allows them to be their whole selves in mathematics.
What do you consider to be your biggest research accomplishment so far?
I am really thrilled that I have managed to publish pieces that draw on fictional novels (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, Nnedi Binti, Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing), movies (Zootopia), and most recently, song (Burna Boy’s Monsters You Made). I have somehow found ways to merge my love for the arts in and out of mathematics education which fills me with great pride. As an aside, I co-wrote the Zootopia piece in 2017 as a graduate student and it has remained on the “most read” list since its publication which blows my mind.
What advice would you give to your 21-year old self?
Enjoy the zigzag of your life. The multitude of experiences you are amassing living in different cities and countries will shape your thinking and make your research agenda more purposeful and robust.
What would students be surprised to know about you?
I am an avid reader of books unrelated to my research or teaching. Since 2020 (aka since I stopped being a student), I have read an average of 30 books (I read 66 in 2021!). I also enjoy taking long walks, watching all types of TV shows (including Top Chef, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Abbott Elementary), and am quite obsessed with award season (I save the major tv and movie award dates on my calendar yearly).