ICTM President and President-Elect's Statement on Anti-Asian Racism

As leaders of a mathematics education organization in Illinois, we are committed to our mission of an equitable mathematics education for ALL students in our state.

With the recent Atlanta-area mass shooting that killed eight people, including six Asian women and the past year of increased anti-Asian violence and hate crimes, we find it impossible to stay silent. It is our responsibility as educators committed to social justice, to speak out against racism, xenophobia, and violence.

However, just speaking out against such acts is not enough. We also need to take action. ICTM would like to highlight the action steps suggested by some of the other math education organizations in their recent statement.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, Association of State Supervisors of Mathematics, Benjamin Banneker Association, NCSM: Leadership in Mathematics Education, School Science and Mathematics Association, and TODOS: Mathematics for ALL have put out a joint statement, which you can read here. They suggested these actions:

  • support the use of mathematics as an analytic tool to challenge power, privilege, and oppression;

  • encourage all educators to challenge systems of oppression that privilege some while disadvantaging others; and

  • inspire all educators to create socially and emotionally safe spaces for themselves, their students, and colleagues.

We endorse these actions and are committed to working as an organization to stop anti-Asian racism and all other discrimination and racism that occurs in our schools and universities.

 Annie Forest, President 

Adam Poetzel, President-Elect