Pi Day Featuring DC Math Icon, Dr. Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes

photo of Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes

Photo of Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes. Credit: Wikipedia

Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes (1890-1980)  

Every year, Pi Day is celebrated on March 14. This day honors the mathematical constant pi, and the date is symbolic because 3.14 represents the first three digits of pi.  

This Pi Day, we are honoring, Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes, a remarkable figure who paved the way for many Black women in STEM.   

 

Born in Washington, D.C., Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes was the first Black woman to earn a PhD in mathematics, which she received from Catholic University in 1943. 

 

Photo of Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes.

Photo of Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes. Credit: Catholic University

She taught in D.C. public schools for over 47 years and became the first woman to chair the D.C. Board of Education from 1966 to 1967.  

During her time on the board, she played a significant role in the Hobson v. Hansen (1967) case, which ended the track system — a method that grouped students by perceived academic ability in various subjects.  

Haynes also taught mathematics and served as the chair of the Math Department at Dunbar High School. Later, she became a professor of mathematics at the University of the District of Columbia, where she also chaired the Division of Mathematics and Business Education.  

After retiring from the public school system in 1959, she established the math department at the University of the District of Columbia and occasionally taught classes at Howard University. 

Photo of Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes.

Photo of Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes. Credit: Catholic University

In 1959, Pope John XXIII awarded her the Papal Decoration of Honor, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. Additionally, she was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1998.  

As we honor this pioneering figure, let us also continue to uplift the next generation of Black women in STEM! 

 

You can continue to celebrate Black women in this field by watching Dr. Talitha Washington who speaks to WHUT about the role of data science in expanding the scientific frontier and how to navigate the murky ethics of its applications. 

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