Ladies Knight Featuring Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein [PODCAST]

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Jennifer Shahade welcomes theoretical physicist, author and chess enthusiast Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein to Ladies Knight. Prescod-Weinstein’s new book, The Disordered Comsos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime & Dreams Deferred is our current Madwoman book club selection. The book is both an ode to her love for physics and astronomy, a tour of some high and lowlights of Chanda’s own remarkable career and an impassioned call to make the world of science and the world in general more amenable to everyone with a focus on black women, people of color, non binary people and working people.

Chanda tells Jennifer about how she fell in love with mathematics, how she met Jennifer and got more engrossed into chess via Wu-Chess and the Hip Hop Chess Federation, and how chess helps her refocus her brain. They touch on the recent issue of Chess Life Magazine (January 2021) with RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan and how much she enjoyed going over the games with her husband.

Chanda also talks about her powerful vision for seeing the world through the eyes of children and making sure black children have equal access to joy. She explains one of the most popular talking points of her book, why she sees “dark matter” as a misnomer, and gives her thoughts on the recent case Jennifer mentions, where artificial intelligence mistook a chess conversation for white supremacist propaganda.  

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Women and gender minorities can sign up for the May 21^st Madwoman’s book club on the Disordered Cosmos here. There will also be Q+A highlights for all to enjoy afterward.

Find out more about Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein on her own website and her book website. She is  Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and core faculty in women’s studies at the University of New Hampshire. She’s also the co-founder of the Particles for Justice movement. Her book opening party with author Kiese Laymon can be viewed here.

Find out about our US Chess Women programs, including a weekly girls club and women’s classes at uschesswomen.org. We appreciate every donation and renewal. Love the podcast? Subscribe to us, review and share favorite episodes of Class is in Session or Ladies Knight on social media or with friends.