Black History was made after the Library of Congress received the life work of ethnomathematics Gloria Ford Gilmer in its internationally recognized collection.
The inclusion of the acclaimed scholar makes her the first Black woman mathematician to have research papers displayed in the Congress’ Manuscript Division.
The academic, who pushed the boundaries of race and math scholarship, is also the only Black woman mathematician in the 12,000-piece Manuscript Division collection — helping the library advance its efforts to be more inclusive of women and people of color to the math, science, and technology collections.
Born in Baltimore on June 25, 1928, the Milwaukee native and HBCU alumna was a teacher, international researcher, and leader in the field of ethnomathematics, the study of the relationship between mathematics and culture.
She developed her love for math by working with her father in his store.
“Weighing the meat, converting things from ounces to pounds, and making change, and all of those things that are mathematical,” Jill Gilmer, the scholar’s daughter, said to WISN.
After graduating from Morgan State University with her bachelor of science degree, she attended the University of Pennsylvania for her master of arts degree and her doctorate from Marquette University.
The collection, donated by her daughter Jill Gilmer, was received by the library last year. Josh Levy, a historian of science and technology at the Library of Congress’ Manuscript Division, said he reached out to the family after reading Gilmer’s obituary. The researcher died in 2021 at the age of 93.
Jill Gilmer told “Good Morning America” she was “blown away” when she learned about the inquiry.
“When the Library of Congress reached out to me, I was blown away … it was interesting to see that all the work that she had done was being recognized. It was really an honor,” Jill Gilmer said. “I never thought that someone in our…
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