Hidden Figures Revealed is the first comprehensive historical study of Black mathematicians at a single institution.
Highlighting the Stories of Black Mathematicians
This project represents the first comprehensive historical study of Black mathematicians at a single US institution, The Ohio State University. Nearly 200 mathematicians that identify as Black have earned degrees from the Department of Mathematics at The Ohio State University. They have gone on to become prolific researchers, authors, high school teachers, economists, department chairs, lawyers, Ohio State personnel, and university presidents–yet their stories and legacies have remained “hidden.”
We seek to bring their stories to light through dynamic storytelling using an interdisciplinary team of faculty, staff, and students in the arts and sciences. We will use these stories to create educational resources for K-12 teachers, to develop external programming through our community partnership with the National Afro American Museum and Cultural Center of the Ohio History Connection, and to disseminate our project findings through our partnership with the National Alliance for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences.
In all of this, we will address racial justice in mathematics by shifting the narrative about who can be a mathematician, by highlighting black scholars, and by shifting focus from individual resilience to institutional and historical barriers for success in math.
Featured Alumni: Dr. Thyrsa Frazier Svager
Born in 1930, Dr. Thyrsa Frazier Svager achieved what few African-American women of her generation have in the field of education. A well-accomplished mathematician with a mastermind level IQ, Dr. Svager was the 1st Black female to earn a PhD in mathematics from The Ohio State University and the 10th African-American woman in the United States to earn this degree.
A native of Wilberforce, Ohio, Dr. Svager graduated in 1947 from the Wilberforce University Preparatory Academy at the young age of 15. Afterward, she would become a graduate of Antioch College 1951. After completing her undergraduate studies she earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in mathematics at The Ohio State University in Columbus in 1965.
She is credited for serving as a statistical analyst at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and as an instructor at Texas Southern University in Houston. From 1954 up until 1993, she spent the majority of her career at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio where she was a Professor of Mathematics and an administrator, serving in roles as a Dean, Provost, and Interim President.
Community Partners
We are proud to work with our two community partners! Each partnership will expand the outreach of our our project within the state of Ohio and beyond! You can learn more about each of our community partners by clicking on the links below.
Outreach and Programming
Our project aims to create better opportunities for students, faculty, and the public at large to learn about the history of Black mathematicians. We will use the stories and knowledge learned through our research to create presentations, lesson plans, and other educational resources that will spread the word about these incredible mathematicians.
