Over 80 students, staff and alumni gathered in Pomona College’s Rose Hills Theater on Feb. 19 to celebrate the documentary “Journeys of Black Mathematicians: Creating Pathways.”
The event included a reception with the film’s director, George Csicsery, a screening of the documentary and a panel discussion featuring several Pomona College alumni. With a career spanning nearly four decades, Csicsery has directed 36 films, including dramatic shorts, performance films and documentaries.
This is the second of two films in the “Journeys of Black Mathematicians” series and documents the experiences of Black mathematicians attending predominantly white institutions. Key themes include segregation and identity, diversifying the profession of mathematics and a recent decline in Black undergraduate students studying math.
In the film, Black mathematics professors across the country who represent colleges including Delaware State University, Loyola Marymount University and Rice University, narrate their journeys into higher education.
Professor Raymond L. Johnson, for example, was one of the first African Americans to be admitted into Rice University during the initial stages of desegregation in the 1950s. However, two alumni sued Rice University in an attempt to stop Johnson’s attendance. When he received his PhD, Johnson became the first African American to ever graduate from the university with a degree in mathematics.
Among the professors in the film, two currently teach at the Claremont Colleges. Professor Edray Goins has taught mathematics and statistics at Pomona College since 2018 and spoke about his experience in the “Racism in academia” section of the documentary.
Talithia Williams is a professor of mathematics and mathematics clinic director at Harvey Mudd College. In the section “Keeping students in Math,” she discussed possible reasons why there has been a recent decline in Black students majoring in mathematics.
“It’s really rare that a Black student is taught by a Black professor in Mathematics,” Williams said. “The inner voices might start to tell you that you don’t belong in a space when you don’t see yourself represented.”
Serena Lin PO ’25, one of the event organizers, enjoyed how Csicery’s film was able to reach a wide community.
“Looking around you can see how impactful it is to bring a community of alumni, students and faculty together to honor the achievements of these Black mathematicians in this space,” Lin said.
Audience member Khalab Blagburn PO ’27 appreciated learning about the timeline of segregation in academia.
“I found it really powerful to watch the history of how the first Black mathematicians came to be,” he said. “It was fascinating to learn the process it took for them to be integrated into higher education.”
After the screening, Goins, Csicsery and Pomona alumni Onetta Brooks PO ’74, Michael Dairyko PO ’13 and Tesfa Asmara PO ’24 took the stage to answer questions and give their reactions to the documentary, with Williams moderating the panel.
Regarding the goals and functions of the film, Csicsery said he hoped that the film would reach students when they feel like they need community.
“I was part of the ten percent admitted Black students at Pomona.”
“When I tell people why I took on this project, the most frequent question I get asked is, ‘Are there any Black mathematicians?’” Csicsery said. “This film is the answer to that question.”
In a follow-up question, Williams asked what inspired the panelists to pursue higher education specifically in mathematics.
“I was part of the ten percent admitted Black students at Pomona,” Brooks said. “Along came a professor who helped me pursue what I wanted to do.”
According to Brooks, there is a transformation that takes place when students come to college because of the community support they find there. Faced with the expectations of fitting into a predominantly white institution, students find relief from these pressures through their friendships.
“When we come in with certain expectations of where we want to be and how we want to grow, it’s our friendships that prepare us for whatever we do next in our life,” Brooks said.
Having a strong support system, the documentary and the panelists made clear, is foundational to success throughout college.
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