James
James is a graduate student, poet, & gamer from Sacramento, California.
There are two types of people:
Those who are presented with a complex math problem, and start to exhibit symptoms of PTSD. These people might not see a usage case for math in “real life” and perhaps have been known to dislike math.
Those who are presented with a complex math problem, and get excited about figuring it out. These people enjoy the concept of math in its purest form, regardless of their skill level in it.
James is definitely a math person. His story is also a beautiful representation of how various interests and values can align into a beautiful purpose. It is in the title of the episode itself, he aims to foster Black Joy for Brilliant Black Children. Each of those words is significant in that title. Combine that with Math Education, and I cannot wait to see the impact the future Dr. James King has on this world. This episode aims to unpack what it means to start any discussion with the assumption that Black Children are Brilliant. That is such a beautiful statement to internalize.
The way that James talks about math education is engaging in a way that I have not seen a lot of. You can really tell this is his shit. He is much more than just a mathematician though - he gives us gems about his journeys with his hobbies including poetry, being Black in the world of fencing, and the world of streaming video games.
P.S. If you are seeing double in this episode, then you and James’ homegirl from Starbucks would get along well.
