This is the third installment of the For The People Nile Valley Conference series. The topic of the interview is the founding of mathematics and its history with Dr. Beatrice Lumpkin a professor at Malcom X College and author of a children's book “Young genius in old Egypt.”
Middleton begins by asking the question of what children in America are being taught about the beginning of mathematics, Dr. Lumpkin answers the question with very little.
Dr. Lumpkin then begins to speak about an ancient woman named Hypatia who was an Egyptian algebraist who dedicated her life toward algebra. Dr. Lumpkin emphasizes the fact that instead of being depicted truthfully as an African, Hypatia is commonly shown as a European.
Dr. Lumpkin then goes on to state that Africa is the birthplace of humanity so, wherever there were human beings there was math. She also speaks on the use of algebra in ancient Egypt and Greek people later admitting they learned geometry from Egypt.
Lastly Dr. Lumpkin says that Muslims came into Egypt and found advanced knowledge that what they knew, and rather than suppressing Egyptian culture the Arabs immersed themselves in the culture and continued to advance upon their newfound knowledge.
This episode ends with Dr. Lumpkin telling a story about Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt and her impact on Egypt.
Side Notes
Born on August 3, 1918, in New York, New York, Beatrice Lumpkin is the child of Russian Jewish immigrants. She attended Hunter College, Northeastern Illinois University, and Illinois Institute of Technology. She became popularly known for her activism and fighting to restore the contributions of people of color to the educational curriculum.
Beatrice Lumpkin has a long history in the labor movement including being the organizer of the Wisconsin Steel Workers Women’s Committee to rally community support around the steel workers. On August 21, 2016, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Women’s Rights Committee presented her with a Living the Legacy Award. In September of 2022, the Board Members of the Illinois Alliance Retired American (IARA) created the Frank and Beatrice Lumpkin Award. Dr. Beatrice Lumpkin was an established professor at Malcom X College, wrote multiple books about history and mathematics, and is a cofounder of the Coalition of Labor Union Women.
Today, Dr. Beatrice Lumpkin is 105 years old.