Resisting Erasure: Community-Centered Scholarship in Urban Mathematics Education Amid DEI Defunding

This editorial examines the escalating rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in mathematics education and its implications for urban communities. Framed around the defunding of programs such as the Urban STEM Camps, the piece highlights how politically motivated attacks on equity erase the cultural and sociopolitical contexts essential to mathematics learning. Drawing on historical movements like The Algebra Project and contemporary efforts such as EQUIP and TODOS, the editorial argues that defunding equity-centered research represents a form of epistemic violence that delegitimizes race-conscious inquiry. To resist erasure, the authors call for sustained community-centered scholarship, the strategic use of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and the cultivation of justice-oriented coalitions that transcend federal funding dependencies. Ultimately, the editorial positions equity not as an optional add-on but as the foundation of transformative mathematics education that protects both knowledge and futures.