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Photo of Asamoah Nkwanta is courtesy of Charly Woodruff-White.

Hello mathematics community. The February issue of the Notices observes the nation’s celebration of Black History Month. Three feature articles highlight the research of some Black mathematicians involving topics from compressed sensing for COVID-19 testing, graph optimization, and category theory and linear algebra in machine learning. The articles are: “Compressed sensing-based SARS-CoV-2 pool testing” by Bah, Petersen, and Jung, “The many face(t)s of zero forcing” by Hicks and Brimkov, and “The structure of meaning in language: parallel narratives in linear algebra and category theory” by Bradley, Gastaldi, and Terilla.
The Early Career section contains the following articles. Michael Young’s article “The mathematicians of color alliance,” which introduces us to a Black student support organization at Iowa State University. A brief history of the organization is given and four areas of how students are supported in the community are explained. Marissa Kawehi Loving’s article, “How can we know what we deserve when toxicity is the norm?” covers harmful norms that marginalized people encounter in academic spaces, especially Black women. Strategies on how to challenge toxic experiences are also mentioned in the article. In India White’s article, “Three steps for achieving equity and access in the math classroom,” she states “Achieving equity in the math classroom is not only a matter of fairness but also crucial for ensuring that all students have equal opportunities to excel.” The article explores strategies for departments to consider to create inclusion and diverse representation, collaborative learning, and safe learning spaces.
The Memorial section contains the following articles. Peter Eley’s memorial article, “What I know for sure,” remembers Dr. Lee Stiff, who was a nationally recognized mathematics educator and served for several years as a scholar and administrator at North Carolina State University. He also served as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) President from 2000–2002, was on the NCTM Board of Directors from 1990–1993, and was an NCTM Lifetime Achievement Award winner in 2019. Johnny Houston’s memorial article, “The legacy of Evelyn Boyd Granville (1924–2023),” honors the memory of Dr. Granville, who was the second African American woman to earn a PhD in mathematics. She received her PhD degree from Yale University in 1949. The National Association of Mathematicians (NAM) recognized her with a NAM 50th Anniversary Legacy Award in 2019.
The Math Education section contains the following articles. Luis Leyva’s article, “Queer of color justice in undergraduate mathematics education,” proposes a vision for undergraduate mathematics classrooms as spaces for queer of color justice. Daniel Zaharopol’s article, “Nobody majors in STEM to fail,” presents concrete ideas for how to create environments that support students’ successes and see them as individuals.
In the Book Review section there is a review by Deanna Haunsperger of the book Aspiring and Inspiring: Tenure and Leadership in Academic Mathematics by Rebecca Garcia, Pamela E. Haris, Dandrielle Lewis, and Shanise Walker.
George Csicsery’s Communication article, “Making Journeys of Black Mathematicians,” describes his film project and gives a summary of some of the Black mathematicians interviewed and featured in his film.
The Black History Month Notices articles mentioned promote inclusivity and diversity in the mathematical sciences. In closing, I am again honored to serve as an associate editor to share with the Notices readers these fantastic articles.