November 8, 2024 • 30 mins
In this episode, we dive into the transformative world of educational equity with Atiyah Harmon, the founder of Black Girls Love Math. Learn about Atiyah’s mission to eliminate gender and racial disparities in math education, and how her innovative programs are empowering Black girls to excel in mathematics. From her early days as an educator to her current initiatives, Atiyah shares her journey and the profound impact of her work.
Tune in to discover the challenges and triumphs of changing educational paradigms, the importance of culturally responsive teaching, and how Atiyah is crafting a legacy of empowerment and excellence. Whether you’re an educator, a parent, or an advocate for educational equity, this episode offers deep insights into making a lasting difference in the lives of students.
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Learn more about Atiyah’s impactful work and connect with her initiatives at Black Girls Love Math.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kenny (00:28):
Welcome everybody to another great episode of the
beyond normal podcast.
I'm your host, Kenny groom.
Uh, we've been building, havingincredible conversations with
founders.
Uh, I actually met our gueststoday.
Um, I saw her profile onLinkedIn.
And, uh, she is actuallyfocusing on a topic that's near
(00:50):
and dear to me, which ismathematics, uh, more
specifically black girls inmathematics.
And so I thought, why not haveher on, as we know, uh, the
world is going, uh, kind of STEMcrazy in terms of careers right
now.
And so mathematics, just with mebeing an undergrad in that, in
that specialty, in that, uh,concentration, I thought, why
(01:10):
not, uh, really dig into that alittle bit, because this is
going to be an area.
Uh, where we're going todefinitely want to see, uh, more
black individuals.
Dive into this space and we gotto figure out how to, how to
tell the right story with them.
Uh, so I'm going to introduceour next guest.
Her name is Atiyah Harmon.
She is the founder of blackgirls love math, which is on a
(01:34):
mission to exponentiallyincrease the number of black
girls in STEM.
Uh, they provide, uh,afterschool enrichment programs
and mentorship and overallthey're just making it, You
know, making it cool for blackindividuals to enjoy math.
So without further ado, I'mgoing to bring it to you to the
stage.
(01:54):
How's it going?
Atiyah (01:55):
It's going well.
I'm excited to be here.
Kenny (01:58):
Yes, yes, yes.
Uh, we, we, we, we touch base,uh, a while ago, um, schedules
align now.
And so I definitely wanted tomake sure we connected.
Can you, uh, tell us a littlebit about.
Um, prior to starting blackgirls love math.
Like what were you doing?
What were you focusing on?
(02:19):
What were you passionate about?
Atiyah (02:21):
Uh, I think black girls love math is an extension of
that passion.
So I have been in educationsince 2002 and just working in
different capacities from theclassroom to school building
leadership to networkleadership.
I focused on education equity,specifically in mathematics.
(02:41):
And based on those experiencesand then doing some larger
research saw the need for anopportunity to solve a problem,
which frustrated me, which wasblack girls, not, not having the
capacity, but not feelingwelcomed in this space to
strive, um, further inmathematics and kind of checking
out.
I was a person that stayed inmiddle school area.
(03:03):
So to see the girls be excitedto them, self proclaim, I'm not
a math person, just didn't sitright with me.
So I sought to create this tokind of solve the problem.
Kenny (03:13):
Appreciate that breakdown.
And so since we're, we'retalking mathematics, uh, we're
going to be talking somenumbers, obviously throughout
this conversation.
Is there a stat that goes alongwith this passion and the impact
that drove you into creating theorganization?
Is there a stat out there thatyou want to highlight?
Atiyah (03:31):
Sure.
Uh, the major stat is 2 percentof stem careers are black women.
Um, so our goal is toexponentially increase that.
And if you think about theexponential increase of 8
percent that's still a very lownumber, but, um, I've met with
people who work at Comcast herein Philadelphia and they're
like, yeah, I'm the only womanon the floor using the bathroom.
(03:52):
Um, so this isn't like old news.
This is current.
Um, the representation of theSTEM force.
So that's where we use to striveour data.
That's where we can get our datafrom.
Alphas.
Kenny (04:07):
guess what we would call like a stretch goal.
Like you said, getting it up to8%.
It doesn't even really seem thathot, right?
Like to your point, but weunderstand we got to make these,
you know, we got to make thesestep increases versus, you know,
just one day magically all theseproblems being probably not
going to be the case.
So I want to know a little bitabout, um, I think a big part of
(04:33):
an organization like this.
Is creating, I guess I wouldcall it maybe like a culturally
responsive, uh, instructionstyle, right?
So kids, the, the generationthat is now, I believe, are they
Gen Zs?
Am I getting that right Atiyah?
Or is there one after?
Atiyah (04:52):
I've heard a lot of them.
Kenny (04:53):
Okay, so yeah, I think you're right.
I think we're on Gen Alpha now.
Uh, sorry for those who are outthere maybe listening in those,
uh, those groups.
I don't know all of what, whatwe're calling it now, but I
think it is Gen Alpha.
So they're, they're learning,they're taking in the world
differently.
They're essentially being bornwith, with smartphones in their
hands.
(05:15):
Um, even if we try to limit it,um, as much as we can, there's
definitely that component there.
Like, what are you seeing aboutthe way that they're learning
now?
That you're having to buildinto, um, the curriculum and
just the, the, the way thatyou're instructing.
That is,
Atiyah (05:31):
a really good question.
I think that, When you thinkabout just being in education so
long and seeing how technologyis it like, and I'm a tech
person, maybe not as much asyou, but I'm a tech person.
We actually don't use tech inour programming, um, on purpose
because there, we, we startedduring COVID, right?
(05:54):
We started in 2020.
So our, our first piloted girlswere 2021.
They still had to be six feetwith the mask on.
But there's a lack ofinterpersonal collaboration that
we're very intentional with apart of our community.
We say that we build asisterhood collaborative.
Don't ask me the problems atyour sisters first.
So, the only time we use tech iswe'll do a tick tock or
(06:16):
Instagram, and then towards theend of our programming with
schools, we do a social justiceproject where they have to find
stats and do some presentations.
It's not that it doesn't exist,but I'm not anti calculator or
anything like that, but like wedon't make tech a strong focus
of our programming because it'sjust everywhere is ubiquitous,
right?
So it's like, how do you makepeople not have to solve things
(06:39):
with tech just in case somethingshuts down or there's a glitch,
right?
How can you still cooperate andcollaborate?
Kenny (06:50):
uh, I'm just trying to think, like, I can think back to
when I first started to enjoymath.
I didn't have the calculator,right?
I had a pen and a paper or apencil, a number two pencil.
Uh, hopefully I still use numbertwo pencils and I'm not dating
Atiyah (07:11):
Yeah.
Kenny (07:11):
I just remember being able to solve the problem out of
my own way.
And that was magic to me.
Atiyah (07:18):
hmm.
Kenny (07:19):
Right?
So to your point, I understandtaking the device away because
the device it hides that ithides.
How do you get there and justgives you the answer.
And as long as you manipulatethe device the right way, you
can always get an answer.
But for me, I just joy and goingthrough, I found a lot more joy
in going through the calculationand explaining the why myself.
Atiyah (07:42):
Yeah, our girls in Brooklyn, um, we were doing a
challenge.
They were, are brilliant.
And I asked them like, Hey, thisis pretty heavy.
Do you all want to usecalculator?
And they're like, no, no, wedon't need any chat GPS.
She was like seven.
So I'm like, you were saying thewrong thing, but in terms of the
ability to write it out and whatyou see, like I said, I am not a
(08:03):
person that's anti calculator,but especially when you're
working with a group and theycan see each other's errors, the
way they catch that whole ahamoment within themselves.
Is less frustration at thecalculator and more like, oh,
okay.
This is where I made thischallenge or this error
incorrectly.
Kenny (08:18):
Mhm.
And so you just touched onsomething I was probably going
to ask this a little later, butI might as well.
You mentioned chat GPT.
Let me reference this by saying,uh, as a person who, um, comes
from a math background, uh, andwho has experimented with chat
GPT, chat GPT is rather stupidwhen it comes to doing math.
(08:43):
A lot of times it literally willtake.
Some of the things it finds onthe internet.
And if those things are notmathematically sound, it'll just
spit out at you.
Uh, so I'm curious, like, wheredo you, or how do you feel about
being someone who givesinstruction to, uh, the future
leaders, the future engineers,the future individuals who will
(09:05):
be making decisions from anumber perspective?
Like how does.
A tool like chat, GPT, like whatdo you think of it being an in,
Atiyah (09:15):
So I am, I won't say like I'm an advocate, but I'm
not averse to AI.
I've used it.
I think it's that first stepthat kind of lets you kind of.
Just get the basics out of theway.
Right?
So if you're having like a roughdraft or anything like that,
they can help you.
It's not a perfect paragraph,anything, but it can just start
those initial juices flowing.
(09:35):
So I like to say over the lastcouple of years, as we saw, like
what a year and a half, AI justkind of rapidly take over.
So now I was at a meeting theother day, basically they're
eliminating coding jobs forearly stage.
stages, years one through three,pretty much an A.
I.
Generator can do that.
So my thought always, even withblack girls of math is like math
(09:59):
is the numbers.
But how do you solve theproblem?
Right?
Because it's like I don't needgirls to know how to do
calculations.
That's a waste of time.
I need you to be sophisticatedenough in your work.
Thought process and your dataanalysis to know like this math
means what, how can youinterpret it?
So AI can't do that, right?
AI can spit numbers out, it canread a code, it can tell you
(10:19):
what's on the internet, but itcan't make that next level
sophistication of human processyet that I've seen that shows
that there's a different levelof understanding in depth in
terms of how to interpret mathor anything that's number
related.
Kenny (10:37):
uh, t Appreciate you giving us that breakdown of, uh,
AI tools and how you think of itas an instructor.
You said something reallyimportant in there, um, where
you're preparing, uh, your girlsto be able to think critically.
Um, really from a data analysisperspective, be able to answer
(10:57):
questions, right?
Um, and think through it in away where it's not so important
that you, you know, you havethis, uh, this set way to give
an answer, but I see valuemoving forward when you were
touching on those early entrylevel jobs that are getting
(11:20):
removed.
Like those are the jobs wherethey'll almost like expect you
to like come in with thoseskills already.
Right.
But then your girls that theygot this, this way of thinking
critically, they can come in andday one, add value to whatever
organization they're a part of.
And I just think that puts themin a position where, uh, from a
(11:43):
career perspective, speakingquite frankly, they can make a
crap ton of money, right?
They can have successful careerbecause there's already going to
be this.
There's already going to be thisfascination with a lot of people
in the business world when youhave a STEM degree.
Like, oh, you get, you know,you, you, you majored in
(12:04):
engineering, you majored inmathematics, you majored in
something technical.
They're already coming to youbecause you have some of that
background and now you kind ofjust give them that wow.
When you're able to come in fromday one, do the data analysis
for them, right?
Cause they're their businessleaders.
We get it.
They don't want to makedecisions.
They want to have somebody whothey feel completely confident
(12:26):
in giving them that number thatthey need to move the business
forward.
So that really puts your girlsin a really powerful position.
So I appreciate you, uh, being areceptive to the AI, but then
seeing it's not going anywhere.
So let me position those goingthrough my program, uh, to
benefit from that completelymoving forward.
Atiyah (12:47):
Absolutely.
Kenny (12:49):
So let's talk a little bit about what has so we just
talked about business owners.
This has gotten this got me tothinking in my brain.
Like, what are some of thepeople the organizations that
you're trying to partner with?
Like, what is the receptionbeen?
Like, who are those that havebeen the most receptive?
Maybe even an area, uh, whereyou don't think there's enough,
(13:12):
uh, people coming to you,willing to write you a check or
be a partner, like talk a littlebit about how those partnerships
have been.
As you built the organizationout, I got to be a little smile,
Atiyah (13:23):
I say, Kenny, you put me in a weird space.
You know, we can't answer thisquestion straightforward.
Oh, I will say we've gotten alot of partnerships from.
Individual donors that work attech companies, right?
So we might not know who theyare, but there's certain ways
you can set up with your companythat they do company matching.
So we've gotten money fromDeloitte, Comcast, Exelon,
(13:46):
Microsoft.
And those are people that weusually don't know.
The people that we do know thatsponsor, we've gotten grants
from a lot of local businessesin Philadelphia.
Well, like PhiladelphiaFoundation is one of the major
grantmakers.
We just got a grant from.
So the Horner Foundation, whichhelps support our work as a
nonprofit in Philadelphia, thereare certain organizations we've
(14:09):
already partnered with.
Um, we, for our after schoolprogram, we partner with
schools.
So when schools had all theextra funds, they were coming
right away.
Now we're working to get grantsto help support the schools.
But we are working this yearwith learn fresh, which was does
something called hoops.
Um, so NBA hoops.
So we'll show the girls how touse that, especially as WNBA has
(14:32):
finally become popular.
Um, we have fully usedbasketball, which we're looking
at a partnership again withtheir girls specifically.
Um, we have a uniquepositionality as an organization
that we're more academia and weknow How to teach black girls
really well, but we don't alwayslike we've pivoted probably in
the last six months that insteadof us always trying to get girls
(14:55):
to come to us, let's let's go towhere the girls already are and
let's just offer our instructionand our pedagogy and our
curriculum in a ways thatenhance like we don't want to
compete with anyone or like wehave a skill set.
You have a skill set.
If you have the girls, let usget the work through.
So we're still exploring thosepartnerships.
Um, in Philadelphia, but rightnow we have three or four
promising, uh, collaborations.
Kenny (15:16):
got it.
So let me spin it a differentway.
Atiyah (15:19):
Okay.
Kenny (15:20):
And this is just an add on, uh, feel free to, to answer,
uh, how you see fit.
Who is it?
Is there a dream partnership?
I
Atiyah (15:28):
Oh, absolutely.
Um, the Girls OpportunityAlliance with the Obama
Foundation.
Absolutely.
That's that's a easy one.
Kenny (15:34):
think there was something in there.
Atiyah (15:35):
that's a super easy one.
Uh, of course, we align with, wedid a, um, presentation at a
research conference with blackgirls do STEM and black girls,
math, black girl math, which wasjust for profit.
So there's an ecosystem nowbuilding and is something that
we just became a part of, of alot of.
(15:57):
Black girls serving STEMorganizations country nationwide
and international.
So I love when we could all justcome up with like a coalition
and have events and things likethat from the Black Girls Code
to the Black Girls DoEngineering.
It's like literally all acrossthe country.
Absolutely.
Kenny (16:16):
I could see each of the letters in STEM.
Like, like you said, having adifferent focus, but then
there's some synergy across allthe groups.
Right.
And so nobody's stepping on eachother's toes from that
perspective.
Like there's, there's a way togrow the total.
population of people that wehave in that space and we need
to do that.
Atiyah (16:34):
Absolutely.
Kenny (16:36):
So let's talk a little bit about, uh, black girls love
math is, and at the end of theday, it is a business deal,
right?
Um, I know people get caught upin the nonprofit versus for
profit, but these are businessentities that were created to do
a certain objective.
what, what's something that you,uh, as leading, um, This growing
(17:00):
organization, what's an areawhere you've had to focus a
little bit more just because youknow, you haven't necessarily
had that experience in the past.
Like tell us a little bit aboutsome of those areas of the
business you've been spendingmore time in.
Atiyah (17:15):
Lately, uh, fundraising and revenue and building a
strong, scalable business model.
I'm an educator by trade, so wegive stuff away to kids all the
time.
Oh, you need notebooks.
It's okay.
You need this.
And I'm like, Okay.
Your organization is for, youcan't give everything away and
your pricing is a little toocheap if everyone's saying yes
(17:36):
quickly.
Um, so it's certain things thatwe've had to like, like you
said, even as a nonprofit, thatrevenue goes back into
supporting a mission.
I've had to be humble, but Iguess like courageous enough to,
I'm not a business person.
Can I get a businessprofessional to help me with our
models and like best ways toscale our organization.
So we just don't burn ourselvesout and shut down.
(17:58):
And, um, Learning how tofundraise and how to pitch.
Like I said, I can teach, I'llteach you, I'll teach your
daughter, I'll teach whomever,any given day, but learning how
to say the story and obey thatit reaches different audiences
to want to donate and helpamplify the work of Black girls
is, uh, you don't have to changekind of the message, you have to
change The way you say certainthings to get people to not be,
(18:24):
um, it's always a lot ofchallenges on when you have
something specific saying blackgirls love math there.
And that's from any, any racialdemographic that will challenge
that.
And it's a way where I've had tolearn over the last four years
to not get angry, but to figureout how to best it in a way that
can like supports our girls andmakes me be authentic to myself.
Kenny (18:47):
I appreciate you for that, that, that, uh, being
candid.
That's a really great answer.
Um, to me, because Being afounder at the end of the day,
you're selling something, uh, 10out of 10 times as a founder.
Like I haven't found a businesswhere you're not trying to sell
somebody on something that'shard to tell folks that, but to,
(19:07):
to what you're saying though,right?
Like your angle is the same, butthen how do you, that what's in
it for me, for people, um, it'sgoing to be different as to why
they, um, end up writing you abig check, right?
For black girls love map thatwhy they do it may not
necessarily.
Be the same.
Why is why you're doing it, butit aligns.
(19:28):
And so finding that alignment,
Atiyah (19:30):
Absolutely.
Kenny (19:32):
anything that that's the, that's where the rubber meets
the road.
For me, um, my time in tech nowwith me being, uh, on the sales
side, uh, that's something thatI enjoy.
So I appreciate you, uh, forbringing that up on, uh, our
platform.
And I I'm excited to see youembrace that actually, because
(19:52):
that's something, like you said,if you've never done it in the
past is because teachers.
end up giving students stuff allthe time and then figuring it
out later, but you developingthat, that, that skill now, I
can see that definitely being asuperpower for you moving
forward because you're fullyembracing it now.
Like, I feel like you're at amode where you ain't afraid to
ask for the check.
(20:13):
Correct me if I'm wrong though,Tia.
Tell me if I'm wrong.
Atiyah (20:18):
in that room, I'm just on the continuum.
Like I still, I won't go rightaway.
I'll get more.
Yes.
And this is what we needadditional funding for.
This is how you can invest inus, but getting straight forward
to ask for the check in thefirst minute, I haven't got
there yet, to be honest, butthat's the goal in the next
couple of months.
Kenny (20:34):
worry.
No worries.
No worries.
So tell me a little bit about,uh, how has it been Building a
team out to support you findingfolks.
Um, as you're looking fordollars, like you said,
fundraising is a big part ofthat, what you're doing now.
Like, tell me a little bit abouthow you've gone about, uh,
(20:57):
building out your team so thatyou can grow this thing as big
as you, as you want it to be oneday.
Atiyah (21:05):
Yeah, I think that's probably the part where we've
been the most blessed and lucky.
I didn't, I don't have a problemfinding a good team.
I have a problem paying a goodteam.
So, we have, um, like I said, Iwas a 20 year educator.
I was a principal in New York,Black Girls on Math, um,
originated in Brooklyn, and thenI moved to Philadelphia to kind
(21:27):
of give myself a year off to setup the background and from my
board chair to my formerteachers to my, um, everyone is
kind of just, I, people havetold me black girls love math is
me and it is a letter to myyounger self.
So it was just like instantlythe synergy comes and I guess
they see me like it's Sunday orit's Tuesday morning and you're
(21:50):
working at 6 a.
m.
even though I scheduled you tosend emails.
I think people buy into mypassion so they're able to work
harder.
Or work alongside that andinspire.
And I, I think I'm a goodmanager and a good boss.
So I always make sure peoplefeel awarded and appreciate our
respect boundaries.
We turn off chat notifications.
It's like all of those things.
(22:10):
But I think when you think aboutnot necessarily just me, but
what black girls love math isfor is not me, right.
It's for the future of blackloaded girls to help.
And a lot of people who come toour team.
Women and men like with theirdaughters, but women, forties
fifties have cried and they werelike, I don't know why I wasn't
(22:31):
in this.
I don't know.
Like, I wish you were aroundwhen I was younger.
It's just, it became this partwhere I was like, wow, I thought
I was doing one thing and itactually unearthed this whole
kind of like mad trauma andother type of identity issues.
So I think the way They they'llstill like I'll still teach,
right?
So people see me teach.
(22:51):
People see our girls, ourfamilies.
And I think that is a genesis tocreate people like I want to be
behind that.
She's not just trying to do itfor the show.
So that has allowed our team andwe've just been completely
honest.
We stand by core values.
We, you know, break bread andlearn each other, but we respect
each other as women or mencommitted to our mission.
Kenny (23:14):
That's dope.
Uh, that is, I think the, Thattells me that you really tapped
in, like you said, thoseexamples you've given into,
like, the issue at hand withmath.
Like you said, you just saidmath trauma.
there really is that in ourcommunity at times where it, for
(23:34):
whatever reason, those firstexperiences that we have at a
young age, um, it either, iteither, uh, makes you go away
from it completely.
Like it kind of like forces youto like bang your head against
(23:55):
the desk a little bit.
Like, Oh, like I'm not gettingthis.
Like, those are the experiencesthat I can, that I re I can
recall growing up.
And for whatever reason, um, it,by the time where, you know,
teenagers going to pick, youknow, what we're going to do
next in life, there aren't thatmany that have said like, Hey, I
(24:17):
want to take the path of.
Mathematics or anything from atechnical perspective.
And so you got to ask, Iappreciate you for setting this
up and making sure you're,you're hitting at like the Y for
people when you're, you're outthere.
And the fact that you've beenable to build a team, like that
really shows that, uh, there is,there's a meat on the bone is
(24:38):
what I would say.
I guess, right.
Atiyah (24:40):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Kenny (24:41):
you can really chew into here and really like, this is,
this is a full course meal.
What's your, what, what's your,what's your, what you're working
on.
Atiyah (24:49):
Absolutely.
It is.
Like I said, it is telling whenyou, like, even myself, I was a
strong math student.
My mom had to remind me.
She was like, you know, you werein a fourth grade math
competition citywide.
And I was like, oh yeah, whathappened in high school?
I only thought you couldn't bean accountant.
Right?
I was like, I don't wanna be anaccountant.
So I went a whole nother way andwound up coming back to the
math.
(25:10):
But the way in which.
Specifically in our community, Iwill say, and then there's
research that shows, like, girlsmath identity aligns to the
mother, so people walkingaround, I'm not a math person,
I'm not cringe, I'm like, thefirst thing is just please don't
say that, because you know, whenthe check is short, you know,
when gas prices go up, like,math doesn't always have to be
solving these crazy equations,right, so to just censor math
(25:33):
more logically, in addition toMath content will always be math
content.
We just present it in a way, notjust, but we present it in a way
that honors and centers blackgirls and that space doesn't
always exist.
So, and we say, it's okay, youcan do hard things.
Yup.
I'm frustrated too.
Let's take a break.
It's like math has been the onlysubject that you're supposed to
(25:55):
get right, right away, whicheverything else you're allowed
to edit.
You're allowed to revise essays.
You're allowed to go back andtake a test.
If you don't get it right theright way, you're not a math
person.
That's just.
It's not true and it's not theway people who do math as a
profession work.
So how do you like decrease thisfear of if I don't get this
(26:16):
right, I'm wrong and I'm not amath person and that's part of
our work.
So we do a creed in everysession just to center the
girl's self esteem.
Kenny (26:25):
What is what is this?
Tell me more about the Creed.
Atiyah (26:28):
Yeah.
So, you know, like call andresponse, they get in a circle
and it is, if I don't know abouther, I should be embarrassed,
but it starts like, I ambrilliant.
I love myself.
I am my sister's keeper.
I am a beautiful black girl andI love math.
It's like, I love to learn.
I love to grow.
So they call in response, um, tothat.
And it kind of just centers whothey are, right.
(26:49):
And like you belong in thisspace.
We honor you.
You're brilliant.
And we're going to do some mathand you're going to have fun.
Kenny (26:56):
That's a gem.
Yeah, I had to take a moment.
Yeah, I
Atiyah (27:03):
appreciate it.
Kenny (27:03):
take a moment.
Atiyah knows I have a little,our viewers, like I have a
little one, a, uh, a, uh, it'sweird saying she, she's a black
female, right, and so, a blackqueen, right, I could see like
her saying that just now as youwere explaining it, and I can
imagine what it does.
(27:25):
for her, uh, saying those typesof things.
Uh, she lets me know that stuffa lot of times anyways, but good
to hear it in a setting likethat.
And I think there's power insaying it as a community for
sure.
Atiyah (27:39):
Yeah.
Every time I hear it, it's, it'sone of those things that still
get charged up because The girlsare like, they all have
personality.
So then some of the ways theysay it.
And then we worked with a high,um, group of Latina girls in
Camden, New Jersey.
So they said it in Spanish andthey would say Brown girl.
And it's like, yes, we're allthe same people.
(27:59):
Let's go.
It was just like, Oh mygoodness.
So it was just beautiful.
Kenny (28:03):
I appreciate you, uh, you know, coming on the platform,
sharing your story.
Um, it definitely resonated fromday one, me being a math major,
right?
Um, me having a daughter andjust, all right, let me see what
opportunities are out there forher to connect with some really
incredible people.
Uh, mine's is still young, tooyoung, I think to join, but
(28:26):
you've already given me somehomework in terms of what I can
Atiyah (28:29):
Yes.
Kenny (28:30):
up my success.
I got to make sure I do myhomework, tell me, tell myself
and our listeners, like what'sthe best way.
For them to, uh, tap in, uh,with black girls love map.
What are you looking for rightnow in terms of support?
All right, let's make sure welet folks know about that.
Atiyah (28:49):
Sure.
We are launching our capitalcampaign September 30th.
Our goal is we are officiallyexpanded to Brooklyn.
So we started in Philadelphia.
We've served four cities now, sowe want to have a stamp in our
capital campaign to increase ourpersonnel in those cities as we
train teachers to be able to doour work and push the mission
(29:09):
forward.
So If you go to our website,blackgirlsofmath.
org, you will have options todonate.
If you work at any corporationthat does company matching,
please type us in.
We are on there.
Everything is legit.
Um, so we ask that and we havesocial media, of course, if you
want to keep up with the dailythings or weekly things we're
doing.
All Black Girls Love Math, withthe exception of X, which is
(29:31):
BGLM 416.
Kenny (29:33):
Got it.
But you got what?
99 percent of the platforms onlock.
So all right, just Google it andyou're going to find it.
Um, I definitely appreciate youagain.
I just want to say that forcoming on the platform.
I always give my guests the lastword.
So what do you want ourlisteners to leave this
conversation with?
Atiyah (29:56):
Everyone is a math person and black girls thrive
and belong in math spaces justas everyone else, if not more.
Kenny (30:04):
Mic drop moment.
Thanks for tuning in to anothergreat episode of the beyond
normal podcast.
Welcome everybody to another great episode of the
beyond normal podcast.
I'm your host, Kenny groom.
Uh, we've been building, havingincredible conversations with
founders.
Uh, I actually met our gueststoday.
Um, I saw her profile onLinkedIn.
And, uh, she is actuallyfocusing on a topic that's near
(00:50):
and dear to me, which ismathematics, uh, more
specifically black girls inmathematics.
And so I thought, why not haveher on, as we know, uh, the
world is going, uh, kind of STEMcrazy in terms of careers right
now.
And so mathematics, just with mebeing an undergrad in that, in
that specialty, in that, uh,concentration, I thought, why
(01:10):
not, uh, really dig into that alittle bit, because this is
going to be an area.
Uh, where we're going todefinitely want to see, uh, more
black individuals.
Dive into this space and we gotto figure out how to, how to
tell the right story with them.
Uh, so I'm going to introduceour next guest.
Her name is Atiyah Harmon.
She is the founder of blackgirls love math, which is on a
(01:34):
mission to exponentiallyincrease the number of black
girls in STEM.
Uh, they provide, uh,afterschool enrichment programs
and mentorship and overallthey're just making it, You
know, making it cool for blackindividuals to enjoy math.
So without further ado, I'mgoing to bring it to you to the
stage.
(01:54):
How's it going?
Atiyah (01:55):
It's going well.
I'm excited to be here.
Kenny (01:58):
Yes, yes, yes.
Uh, we, we, we, we touch base,uh, a while ago, um, schedules
align now.
And so I definitely wanted tomake sure we connected.
Can you, uh, tell us a littlebit about.
Um, prior to starting blackgirls love math.
Like what were you doing?
What were you focusing on?
(02:19):
What were you passionate about?
Atiyah (02:21):
Uh, I think black girls love math is an extension of
that passion.
So I have been in educationsince 2002 and just working in
different capacities from theclassroom to school building
leadership to networkleadership.
I focused on education equity,specifically in mathematics.
(02:41):
And based on those experiencesand then doing some larger
research saw the need for anopportunity to solve a problem,
which frustrated me, which wasblack girls, not, not having the
capacity, but not feelingwelcomed in this space to
strive, um, further inmathematics and kind of checking
out.
I was a person that stayed inmiddle school area.
(03:03):
So to see the girls be excitedto them, self proclaim, I'm not
a math person, just didn't sitright with me.
So I sought to create this tokind of solve the problem.
Kenny (03:13):
Appreciate that breakdown.
And so since we're, we'retalking mathematics, uh, we're
going to be talking somenumbers, obviously throughout
this conversation.
Is there a stat that goes alongwith this passion and the impact
that drove you into creating theorganization?
Is there a stat out there thatyou want to highlight?
Atiyah (03:31):
Sure.
Uh, the major stat is 2 percentof stem careers are black women.
Um, so our goal is toexponentially increase that.
And if you think about theexponential increase of 8
percent that's still a very lownumber, but, um, I've met with
people who work at Comcast herein Philadelphia and they're
like, yeah, I'm the only womanon the floor using the bathroom.
(03:52):
Um, so this isn't like old news.
This is current.
Um, the representation of theSTEM force.
So that's where we use to striveour data.
That's where we can get our datafrom.
Alphas.
Kenny (04:07):
guess what we would call like a stretch goal.
Like you said, getting it up to8%.
It doesn't even really seem thathot, right?
Like to your point, but weunderstand we got to make these,
you know, we got to make thesestep increases versus, you know,
just one day magically all theseproblems being probably not
going to be the case.
So I want to know a little bitabout, um, I think a big part of
(04:33):
an organization like this.
Is creating, I guess I wouldcall it maybe like a culturally
responsive, uh, instructionstyle, right?
So kids, the, the generationthat is now, I believe, are they
Gen Zs?
Am I getting that right Atiyah?
Or is there one after?
Atiyah (04:52):
I've heard a lot of them.
Kenny (04:53):
Okay, so yeah, I think you're right.
I think we're on Gen Alpha now.
Uh, sorry for those who are outthere maybe listening in those,
uh, those groups.
I don't know all of what, whatwe're calling it now, but I
think it is Gen Alpha.
So they're, they're learning,they're taking in the world
differently.
They're essentially being bornwith, with smartphones in their
hands.
(05:15):
Um, even if we try to limit it,um, as much as we can, there's
definitely that component there.
Like, what are you seeing aboutthe way that they're learning
now?
That you're having to buildinto, um, the curriculum and
just the, the, the way thatyou're instructing.
That is,
Atiyah (05:31):
a really good question.
I think that, When you thinkabout just being in education so
long and seeing how technologyis it like, and I'm a tech
person, maybe not as much asyou, but I'm a tech person.
We actually don't use tech inour programming, um, on purpose
because there, we, we startedduring COVID, right?
(05:54):
We started in 2020.
So our, our first piloted girlswere 2021.
They still had to be six feetwith the mask on.
But there's a lack ofinterpersonal collaboration that
we're very intentional with apart of our community.
We say that we build asisterhood collaborative.
Don't ask me the problems atyour sisters first.
So, the only time we use tech iswe'll do a tick tock or
(06:16):
Instagram, and then towards theend of our programming with
schools, we do a social justiceproject where they have to find
stats and do some presentations.
It's not that it doesn't exist,but I'm not anti calculator or
anything like that, but like wedon't make tech a strong focus
of our programming because it'sjust everywhere is ubiquitous,
right?
So it's like, how do you makepeople not have to solve things
(06:39):
with tech just in case somethingshuts down or there's a glitch,
right?
How can you still cooperate andcollaborate?
Kenny (06:50):
uh, I'm just trying to think, like, I can think back to
when I first started to enjoymath.
I didn't have the calculator,right?
I had a pen and a paper or apencil, a number two pencil.
Uh, hopefully I still use numbertwo pencils and I'm not dating
Atiyah (07:11):
Yeah.
Kenny (07:11):
I just remember being able to solve the problem out of
my own way.
And that was magic to me.
Atiyah (07:18):
hmm.
Kenny (07:19):
Right?
So to your point, I understandtaking the device away because
the device it hides that ithides.
How do you get there and justgives you the answer.
And as long as you manipulatethe device the right way, you
can always get an answer.
But for me, I just joy and goingthrough, I found a lot more joy
in going through the calculationand explaining the why myself.
Atiyah (07:42):
Yeah, our girls in Brooklyn, um, we were doing a
challenge.
They were, are brilliant.
And I asked them like, Hey, thisis pretty heavy.
Do you all want to usecalculator?
And they're like, no, no, wedon't need any chat GPS.
She was like seven.
So I'm like, you were saying thewrong thing, but in terms of the
ability to write it out and whatyou see, like I said, I am not a
(08:03):
person that's anti calculator,but especially when you're
working with a group and theycan see each other's errors, the
way they catch that whole ahamoment within themselves.
Is less frustration at thecalculator and more like, oh,
okay.
This is where I made thischallenge or this error
incorrectly.
Kenny (08:18):
Mhm.
And so you just touched onsomething I was probably going
to ask this a little later, butI might as well.
You mentioned chat GPT.
Let me reference this by saying,uh, as a person who, um, comes
from a math background, uh, andwho has experimented with chat
GPT, chat GPT is rather stupidwhen it comes to doing math.
(08:43):
A lot of times it literally willtake.
Some of the things it finds onthe internet.
And if those things are notmathematically sound, it'll just
spit out at you.
Uh, so I'm curious, like, wheredo you, or how do you feel about
being someone who givesinstruction to, uh, the future
leaders, the future engineers,the future individuals who will
(09:05):
be making decisions from anumber perspective?
Like how does.
A tool like chat, GPT, like whatdo you think of it being an in,
Atiyah (09:15):
So I am, I won't say like I'm an advocate, but I'm
not averse to AI.
I've used it.
I think it's that first stepthat kind of lets you kind of.
Just get the basics out of theway.
Right?
So if you're having like a roughdraft or anything like that,
they can help you.
It's not a perfect paragraph,anything, but it can just start
those initial juices flowing.
(09:35):
So I like to say over the lastcouple of years, as we saw, like
what a year and a half, AI justkind of rapidly take over.
So now I was at a meeting theother day, basically they're
eliminating coding jobs forearly stage.
stages, years one through three,pretty much an A.
I.
Generator can do that.
So my thought always, even withblack girls of math is like math
(09:59):
is the numbers.
But how do you solve theproblem?
Right?
Because it's like I don't needgirls to know how to do
calculations.
That's a waste of time.
I need you to be sophisticatedenough in your work.
Thought process and your dataanalysis to know like this math
means what, how can youinterpret it?
So AI can't do that, right?
AI can spit numbers out, it canread a code, it can tell you
(10:19):
what's on the internet, but itcan't make that next level
sophistication of human processyet that I've seen that shows
that there's a different levelof understanding in depth in
terms of how to interpret mathor anything that's number
related.
Kenny (10:37):
uh, t Appreciate you giving us that breakdown of, uh,
AI tools and how you think of itas an instructor.
You said something reallyimportant in there, um, where
you're preparing, uh, your girlsto be able to think critically.
Um, really from a data analysisperspective, be able to answer
(10:57):
questions, right?
Um, and think through it in away where it's not so important
that you, you know, you havethis, uh, this set way to give
an answer, but I see valuemoving forward when you were
touching on those early entrylevel jobs that are getting
(11:20):
removed.
Like those are the jobs wherethey'll almost like expect you
to like come in with thoseskills already.
Right.
But then your girls that theygot this, this way of thinking
critically, they can come in andday one, add value to whatever
organization they're a part of.
And I just think that puts themin a position where, uh, from a
(11:43):
career perspective, speakingquite frankly, they can make a
crap ton of money, right?
They can have successful careerbecause there's already going to
be this.
There's already going to be thisfascination with a lot of people
in the business world when youhave a STEM degree.
Like, oh, you get, you know,you, you, you majored in
(12:04):
engineering, you majored inmathematics, you majored in
something technical.
They're already coming to youbecause you have some of that
background and now you kind ofjust give them that wow.
When you're able to come in fromday one, do the data analysis
for them, right?
Cause they're their businessleaders.
We get it.
They don't want to makedecisions.
They want to have somebody whothey feel completely confident
(12:26):
in giving them that number thatthey need to move the business
forward.
So that really puts your girlsin a really powerful position.
So I appreciate you, uh, being areceptive to the AI, but then
seeing it's not going anywhere.
So let me position those goingthrough my program, uh, to
benefit from that completelymoving forward.
Atiyah (12:47):
Absolutely.
Kenny (12:49):
So let's talk a little bit about what has so we just
talked about business owners.
This has gotten this got me tothinking in my brain.
Like, what are some of thepeople the organizations that
you're trying to partner with?
Like, what is the receptionbeen?
Like, who are those that havebeen the most receptive?
Maybe even an area, uh, whereyou don't think there's enough,
(13:12):
uh, people coming to you,willing to write you a check or
be a partner, like talk a littlebit about how those partnerships
have been.
As you built the organizationout, I got to be a little smile,
Atiyah (13:23):
I say, Kenny, you put me in a weird space.
You know, we can't answer thisquestion straightforward.
Oh, I will say we've gotten alot of partnerships from.
Individual donors that work attech companies, right?
So we might not know who theyare, but there's certain ways
you can set up with your companythat they do company matching.
So we've gotten money fromDeloitte, Comcast, Exelon,
(13:46):
Microsoft.
And those are people that weusually don't know.
The people that we do know thatsponsor, we've gotten grants
from a lot of local businessesin Philadelphia.
Well, like PhiladelphiaFoundation is one of the major
grantmakers.
We just got a grant from.
So the Horner Foundation, whichhelps support our work as a
nonprofit in Philadelphia, thereare certain organizations we've
(14:09):
already partnered with.
Um, we, for our after schoolprogram, we partner with
schools.
So when schools had all theextra funds, they were coming
right away.
Now we're working to get grantsto help support the schools.
But we are working this yearwith learn fresh, which was does
something called hoops.
Um, so NBA hoops.
So we'll show the girls how touse that, especially as WNBA has
(14:32):
finally become popular.
Um, we have fully usedbasketball, which we're looking
at a partnership again withtheir girls specifically.
Um, we have a uniquepositionality as an organization
that we're more academia and weknow How to teach black girls
really well, but we don't alwayslike we've pivoted probably in
the last six months that insteadof us always trying to get girls
(14:55):
to come to us, let's let's go towhere the girls already are and
let's just offer our instructionand our pedagogy and our
curriculum in a ways thatenhance like we don't want to
compete with anyone or like wehave a skill set.
You have a skill set.
If you have the girls, let usget the work through.
So we're still exploring thosepartnerships.
Um, in Philadelphia, but rightnow we have three or four
promising, uh, collaborations.
Kenny (15:16):
got it.
So let me spin it a differentway.
Atiyah (15:19):
Okay.
Kenny (15:20):
And this is just an add on, uh, feel free to, to answer,
uh, how you see fit.
Who is it?
Is there a dream partnership?
I
Atiyah (15:28):
Oh, absolutely.
Um, the Girls OpportunityAlliance with the Obama
Foundation.
Absolutely.
That's that's a easy one.
Kenny (15:34):
think there was something in there.
Atiyah (15:35):
that's a super easy one.
Uh, of course, we align with, wedid a, um, presentation at a
research conference with blackgirls do STEM and black girls,
math, black girl math, which wasjust for profit.
So there's an ecosystem nowbuilding and is something that
we just became a part of, of alot of.
(15:57):
Black girls serving STEMorganizations country nationwide
and international.
So I love when we could all justcome up with like a coalition
and have events and things likethat from the Black Girls Code
to the Black Girls DoEngineering.
It's like literally all acrossthe country.
Absolutely.
Kenny (16:16):
I could see each of the letters in STEM.
Like, like you said, having adifferent focus, but then
there's some synergy across allthe groups.
Right.
And so nobody's stepping on eachother's toes from that
perspective.
Like there's, there's a way togrow the total.
population of people that wehave in that space and we need
to do that.
Atiyah (16:34):
Absolutely.
Kenny (16:36):
So let's talk a little bit about, uh, black girls love
math is, and at the end of theday, it is a business deal,
right?
Um, I know people get caught upin the nonprofit versus for
profit, but these are businessentities that were created to do
a certain objective.
what, what's something that you,uh, as leading, um, This growing
(17:00):
organization, what's an areawhere you've had to focus a
little bit more just because youknow, you haven't necessarily
had that experience in the past.
Like tell us a little bit aboutsome of those areas of the
business you've been spendingmore time in.
Atiyah (17:15):
Lately, uh, fundraising and revenue and building a
strong, scalable business model.
I'm an educator by trade, so wegive stuff away to kids all the
time.
Oh, you need notebooks.
It's okay.
You need this.
And I'm like, Okay.
Your organization is for, youcan't give everything away and
your pricing is a little toocheap if everyone's saying yes
(17:36):
quickly.
Um, so it's certain things thatwe've had to like, like you
said, even as a nonprofit, thatrevenue goes back into
supporting a mission.
I've had to be humble, but Iguess like courageous enough to,
I'm not a business person.
Can I get a businessprofessional to help me with our
models and like best ways toscale our organization.
So we just don't burn ourselvesout and shut down.
(17:58):
And, um, Learning how tofundraise and how to pitch.
Like I said, I can teach, I'llteach you, I'll teach your
daughter, I'll teach whomever,any given day, but learning how
to say the story and obey thatit reaches different audiences
to want to donate and helpamplify the work of Black girls
is, uh, you don't have to changekind of the message, you have to
change The way you say certainthings to get people to not be,
(18:24):
um, it's always a lot ofchallenges on when you have
something specific saying blackgirls love math there.
And that's from any, any racialdemographic that will challenge
that.
And it's a way where I've had tolearn over the last four years
to not get angry, but to figureout how to best it in a way that
can like supports our girls andmakes me be authentic to myself.
Kenny (18:47):
I appreciate you for that, that, that, uh, being
candid.
That's a really great answer.
Um, to me, because Being afounder at the end of the day,
you're selling something, uh, 10out of 10 times as a founder.
Like I haven't found a businesswhere you're not trying to sell
somebody on something that'shard to tell folks that, but to,
(19:07):
to what you're saying though,right?
Like your angle is the same, butthen how do you, that what's in
it for me, for people, um, it'sgoing to be different as to why
they, um, end up writing you abig check, right?
For black girls love map thatwhy they do it may not
necessarily.
Be the same.
Why is why you're doing it, butit aligns.
(19:28):
And so finding that alignment,
Atiyah (19:30):
Absolutely.
Kenny (19:32):
anything that that's the, that's where the rubber meets
the road.
For me, um, my time in tech nowwith me being, uh, on the sales
side, uh, that's something thatI enjoy.
So I appreciate you, uh, forbringing that up on, uh, our
platform.
And I I'm excited to see youembrace that actually, because
(19:52):
that's something, like you said,if you've never done it in the
past is because teachers.
end up giving students stuff allthe time and then figuring it
out later, but you developingthat, that, that skill now, I
can see that definitely being asuperpower for you moving
forward because you're fullyembracing it now.
Like, I feel like you're at amode where you ain't afraid to
ask for the check.
(20:13):
Correct me if I'm wrong though,Tia.
Tell me if I'm wrong.
Atiyah (20:18):
in that room, I'm just on the continuum.
Like I still, I won't go rightaway.
I'll get more.
Yes.
And this is what we needadditional funding for.
This is how you can invest inus, but getting straight forward
to ask for the check in thefirst minute, I haven't got
there yet, to be honest, butthat's the goal in the next
couple of months.
Kenny (20:34):
worry.
No worries.
No worries.
So tell me a little bit about,uh, how has it been Building a
team out to support you findingfolks.
Um, as you're looking fordollars, like you said,
fundraising is a big part ofthat, what you're doing now.
Like, tell me a little bit abouthow you've gone about, uh,
(20:57):
building out your team so thatyou can grow this thing as big
as you, as you want it to be oneday.
Atiyah (21:05):
Yeah, I think that's probably the part where we've
been the most blessed and lucky.
I didn't, I don't have a problemfinding a good team.
I have a problem paying a goodteam.
So, we have, um, like I said, Iwas a 20 year educator.
I was a principal in New York,Black Girls on Math, um,
originated in Brooklyn, and thenI moved to Philadelphia to kind
(21:27):
of give myself a year off to setup the background and from my
board chair to my formerteachers to my, um, everyone is
kind of just, I, people havetold me black girls love math is
me and it is a letter to myyounger self.
So it was just like instantlythe synergy comes and I guess
they see me like it's Sunday orit's Tuesday morning and you're
(21:50):
working at 6 a.
m.
even though I scheduled you tosend emails.
I think people buy into mypassion so they're able to work
harder.
Or work alongside that andinspire.
And I, I think I'm a goodmanager and a good boss.
So I always make sure peoplefeel awarded and appreciate our
respect boundaries.
We turn off chat notifications.
It's like all of those things.
(22:10):
But I think when you think aboutnot necessarily just me, but
what black girls love math isfor is not me, right.
It's for the future of blackloaded girls to help.
And a lot of people who come toour team.
Women and men like with theirdaughters, but women, forties
fifties have cried and they werelike, I don't know why I wasn't
(22:31):
in this.
I don't know.
Like, I wish you were aroundwhen I was younger.
It's just, it became this partwhere I was like, wow, I thought
I was doing one thing and itactually unearthed this whole
kind of like mad trauma andother type of identity issues.
So I think the way They they'llstill like I'll still teach,
right?
So people see me teach.
(22:51):
People see our girls, ourfamilies.
And I think that is a genesis tocreate people like I want to be
behind that.
She's not just trying to do itfor the show.
So that has allowed our team andwe've just been completely
honest.
We stand by core values.
We, you know, break bread andlearn each other, but we respect
each other as women or mencommitted to our mission.
Kenny (23:14):
That's dope.
Uh, that is, I think the, Thattells me that you really tapped
in, like you said, thoseexamples you've given into,
like, the issue at hand withmath.
Like you said, you just saidmath trauma.
there really is that in ourcommunity at times where it, for
(23:34):
whatever reason, those firstexperiences that we have at a
young age, um, it either, iteither, uh, makes you go away
from it completely.
Like it kind of like forces youto like bang your head against
(23:55):
the desk a little bit.
Like, Oh, like I'm not gettingthis.
Like, those are the experiencesthat I can, that I re I can
recall growing up.
And for whatever reason, um, it,by the time where, you know,
teenagers going to pick, youknow, what we're going to do
next in life, there aren't thatmany that have said like, Hey, I
(24:17):
want to take the path of.
Mathematics or anything from atechnical perspective.
And so you got to ask, Iappreciate you for setting this
up and making sure you're,you're hitting at like the Y for
people when you're, you're outthere.
And the fact that you've beenable to build a team, like that
really shows that, uh, there is,there's a meat on the bone is
(24:38):
what I would say.
I guess, right.
Atiyah (24:40):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Kenny (24:41):
you can really chew into here and really like, this is,
this is a full course meal.
What's your, what, what's your,what's your, what you're working
on.
Atiyah (24:49):
Absolutely.
It is.
Like I said, it is telling whenyou, like, even myself, I was a
strong math student.
My mom had to remind me.
She was like, you know, you werein a fourth grade math
competition citywide.
And I was like, oh yeah, whathappened in high school?
I only thought you couldn't bean accountant.
Right?
I was like, I don't wanna be anaccountant.
So I went a whole nother way andwound up coming back to the
math.
(25:10):
But the way in which.
Specifically in our community, Iwill say, and then there's
research that shows, like, girlsmath identity aligns to the
mother, so people walkingaround, I'm not a math person,
I'm not cringe, I'm like, thefirst thing is just please don't
say that, because you know, whenthe check is short, you know,
when gas prices go up, like,math doesn't always have to be
solving these crazy equations,right, so to just censor math
(25:33):
more logically, in addition toMath content will always be math
content.
We just present it in a way, notjust, but we present it in a way
that honors and centers blackgirls and that space doesn't
always exist.
So, and we say, it's okay, youcan do hard things.
Yup.
I'm frustrated too.
Let's take a break.
It's like math has been the onlysubject that you're supposed to
(25:55):
get right, right away, whicheverything else you're allowed
to edit.
You're allowed to revise essays.
You're allowed to go back andtake a test.
If you don't get it right theright way, you're not a math
person.
That's just.
It's not true and it's not theway people who do math as a
profession work.
So how do you like decrease thisfear of if I don't get this
(26:16):
right, I'm wrong and I'm not amath person and that's part of
our work.
So we do a creed in everysession just to center the
girl's self esteem.
Kenny (26:25):
What is what is this?
Tell me more about the Creed.
Atiyah (26:28):
Yeah.
So, you know, like call andresponse, they get in a circle
and it is, if I don't know abouther, I should be embarrassed,
but it starts like, I ambrilliant.
I love myself.
I am my sister's keeper.
I am a beautiful black girl andI love math.
It's like, I love to learn.
I love to grow.
So they call in response, um, tothat.
And it kind of just centers whothey are, right.
(26:49):
And like you belong in thisspace.
We honor you.
You're brilliant.
And we're going to do some mathand you're going to have fun.
Kenny (26:56):
That's a gem.
Yeah, I had to take a moment.
Yeah, I
Atiyah (27:03):
appreciate it.
Kenny (27:03):
take a moment.
Atiyah knows I have a little,our viewers, like I have a
little one, a, uh, a, uh, it'sweird saying she, she's a black
female, right, and so, a blackqueen, right, I could see like
her saying that just now as youwere explaining it, and I can
imagine what it does.
(27:25):
for her, uh, saying those typesof things.
Uh, she lets me know that stuffa lot of times anyways, but good
to hear it in a setting likethat.
And I think there's power insaying it as a community for
sure.
Atiyah (27:39):
Yeah.
Every time I hear it, it's, it'sone of those things that still
get charged up because The girlsare like, they all have
personality.
So then some of the ways theysay it.
And then we worked with a high,um, group of Latina girls in
Camden, New Jersey.
So they said it in Spanish andthey would say Brown girl.
And it's like, yes, we're allthe same people.
(27:59):
Let's go.
It was just like, Oh mygoodness.
So it was just beautiful.
Kenny (28:03):
I appreciate you, uh, you know, coming on the platform,
sharing your story.
Um, it definitely resonated fromday one, me being a math major,
right?
Um, me having a daughter andjust, all right, let me see what
opportunities are out there forher to connect with some really
incredible people.
Uh, mine's is still young, tooyoung, I think to join, but
(28:26):
you've already given me somehomework in terms of what I can
Atiyah (28:29):
Yes.
Kenny (28:30):
up my success.
I got to make sure I do myhomework, tell me, tell myself
and our listeners, like what'sthe best way.
For them to, uh, tap in, uh,with black girls love map.
What are you looking for rightnow in terms of support?
All right, let's make sure welet folks know about that.
Atiyah (28:49):
Sure.
We are launching our capitalcampaign September 30th.
Our goal is we are officiallyexpanded to Brooklyn.
So we started in Philadelphia.
We've served four cities now, sowe want to have a stamp in our
capital campaign to increase ourpersonnel in those cities as we
train teachers to be able to doour work and push the mission
(29:09):
forward.
So If you go to our website,blackgirlsofmath.
org, you will have options todonate.
If you work at any corporationthat does company matching,
please type us in.
We are on there.
Everything is legit.
Um, so we ask that and we havesocial media, of course, if you
want to keep up with the dailythings or weekly things we're
doing.
All Black Girls Love Math, withthe exception of X, which is
(29:31):
BGLM 416.
Kenny (29:33):
Got it.
But you got what?
99 percent of the platforms onlock.
So all right, just Google it andyou're going to find it.
Um, I definitely appreciate youagain.
I just want to say that forcoming on the platform.
I always give my guests the lastword.
So what do you want ourlisteners to leave this
conversation with?
Atiyah (29:56):
Everyone is a math person and black girls thrive
and belong in math spaces justas everyone else, if not more.
Kenny (30:04):
Mic drop moment.
Thanks for tuning in to anothergreat episode of the beyond
normal podcast.
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