Dr. Luz Valoyes-Chávez earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics and pedagogy from Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia. She subsequently earned a master's degree in mathematics education from the same institution. Dr. Valoyes-Chávez was awarded the Fulbright scholarship for Afro-descendant leaders that enabled her to pursue her doctorate in mathematics education at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the U.S.A. Dr. Valoyes-Chávez is currently an associate professor at Universidad Católica de Temuco and a research associate at the Center for Advanced Research in Education at Universidad de Chile. She is the recipient of the 2024 Svend Pedersen Lecture Award and the 2024 Afro-Colombian of the year for her contributions to research.

Dr. Valoyes-Chávez's research focuses on unveiling the different ways in which anti-black racism materializes in the practices of mathematics education. Within the field of mathematics education, discourse on race influences the statements produced about students and their mathematics learning, the rules to talk about race and mathematics ability, and the practices to deal with racial difference. These factors collectively construct particular forms of knowledge about the learners. Her research has contributed to understanding these issues as well as unpack how anti-blackness influences the mathematical experiences of black students in Colombia and black migrant children in Chile. However, novel and nuanced forms of racism complicate the efforts of researchers to expose its mechanisms, particularly in the context of school mathematics. Dr. Valoyes-Chávez's research is part of a growing body of research that has shed light on how anti-Black racism challenges the design and implementation of reform-based mathematics.

As alternate director of the MRACE research center, she plays a key role in fostering collaboration among the regional and international research community on anti-racist mathematics education. In the MRACE program, Dr. Valoyes-Chávez works to address the issue of racism against Indigenous, Black, and immigrant students in Chilean mathematics education. Her work aims to support the empowerment of school communities to promote racial justice in the field.

At the Universidad Católica de Temuco, Dr. Valoyes-Chávez teaches courses of the pedagogy of mathematics to future mathematics teachers. Her graduate teaching focuses on qualitative and critical research methodologies. Dr. Valoyes-Chávez is currently involved in a program to support the professional development of mathematics teachers in rural and urban schools with a high population of Mapuche and immigrant students in La Araucanía, Chile. Her primary objective is to assist elementary and middle school teachers in creating more inclusive mathematics classrooms.

Dr. Valoyes-Chávez is affiliated with NEDIMAT, an international network of mathematics education scholars. The primary objective of this network is to cultivate a community of researchers committed to enhancing the education of mathematics.

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“In these challenging times, it is crucial to acknowledge the contributions of Black Latinos and Hispanics in various fields of social and human sciences, especially in the context of racial violence that is increasingly prevalent in different regions of the world. As a black Latina woman, I hope that Hispanic Heritage Month will encourage recognition of the humanity of Black Latinos and Hispanics worldwide.”

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