One of my favorite places to be is the beach. When I walk out onto the sand, I feel relief, relaxation and a real sense of peace wash over me. The only other place that I’ve felt that depth of peace was at the NCTM Annual Meeting, walking into the convention center as part of the Bank Street Education Center’s Diverse Math Educators for Equity Cohort (DMEEC).

Normally, big crowds and a fully packed schedule wouldn’t strike me as particularly peaceful. But through connecting with my cohort members, I tapped into a confidence and a reassurance that everything in that convention center was meant for me. The conversations, the resources, the openness to connection – it was actively accessible to support me, my practice and my math joy.

That’s the kind of rejuvenating experience you can have when you know you’re not alone in the building, in your interests or in your field.

To put that into perspective, I received an award for my work in instructional technology a few months after participating in DMEEC. This award is given to one person in every district in my county. But not only was I the only Black woman to receive the award, I was the only Black woman in the room. That alarmed me. Because of course there are Black women doing incredible work in math and technology. Of course there are Black women educators supporting students in achieving math excellence and discovering exciting connections between what they’re learning in the classroom and what they want to create in their communities and their lives. But just like in high school, when I was the only Black girl in AP calculus, looking around that awards ceremony would give you the false impression that mathematics doesn’t belong to all identities.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and that’s why the DMEEC experience is so refreshing and necessary. Bringing together educators of multiple diverse identities is key to getting the full picture of who the math community is and to equipping all of us with the tools and perspectives we need to address the challenges we face in our classrooms and in our careers.

When we’re together in the spaces to see, connect and encourage one another, we can expand our reach and find ways of navigating the mathematical world that we might not have considered before. That process moves all of us closer to real equity in our community.

So if you’re a math educator or you know a math educator who would be energized by being in this cohort, reach out to the Bank Street team at educationcenter@bankstreet.edu for information on how to apply to the next Diverse Math Educators for Equity Cohort. And be sure to find me at the NCTM Annual Meeting this month!