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Note: The original version of this article, written by Sean Cardinalli, was first published in the August 2023 issue of the UpLift Chronicles, the New Mexico Black Leadership Council’s monthly print publication. This piece has been edited and revised for The Paper. by Shannon Moreau.
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council congratulates Professor Sonia Gipson Rankin on her promotion to tenured professor at UNM School of Law. The Chronicle of Higher Education, in 2019, noted only 2.1% of tenured faculty at American universities were Black women. Gipson Rankin appreciates students gratified to see someone who looks like them teaching class, showing that they, too, can accomplish big goals.
Gipson Rankin is known locally and nationally for her computer science accolades and passion for racial justice. She was one of many New Mexico luminaries to be interviewed in the Cafecito con Colón series that spotlighted New Mexican Black voices in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. KOAT, KRQE, and BBC World News featured Professor Gipson Rankin in their coverage of the Derek Chauvin verdict.
Her scholarship in the fast-growing field of artificial intelligence (AI) is sought by major news sources like the BBC and NPR. Her paper published in the New York University Law Review pointed out the need for oversight and regulation when it comes to the new realm of AI, using the example of Michigan’s Integrated Data Automated System (MiDAS), where 40,000 people were falsely detected by AI as having committed unemployment fraud, resulting in money being taken from them. The debacle not only raised questions about how to rectify a situation caused to humans by AI, but also who’s to be held accountable? Not to mention, how can AI be developed in a way that’s free of bias? These are the issues Professor Gipson Rankin addresses in her research and analysis.
We see you, Professor Gipson Rankin, and we celebrate your accomplishment!
Below is NMBLC’s Q&A. Answers have been condensed for clarity and length.
What led you to where you are today, career-wise?
My third grade teacher [once] stood on a desk to hang something from the ceiling. While she was on the desk, she started tap dancing. All of the students were amazed and I said to myself, “this is what I want to do when I grow up.” I have yet to tap dance in the classroom, but I do try to wow students when I can!
I come from a tech family…. I knew I would study computer science, but my plan was to … become a patent attorney to help Black Americans get patents for tech inventions. But, one of the most impactful parts of my journey has been my children. My daughters were born while I was a law student.
Life has turned and twisted a bit, but I would not change one step of the journey.
What obstacles did you face as a Black woman studying and teaching law?
Only 12 out of 250 students [at the University of Illinois College of Law] were Black and we stuck together. Black Law Student Association members babysat my kids, shared their casebooks and materials, and reviewed my scholarship… [and now] I have the most gracious and generous colleagues at the University of New Mexico School of Law.
Were there complexities due to race? Absolutely. Some people are so trifling and have time to be unkind or evil. But I keep one thought at the top of my mind: There is nothing wrong with me. There is something broken about them. I was taught a particular mindset… (1) you can do anything you want to do, (2) be about excellence, and (3) you are required to give back.
Do you know many other Black/BIPOC women in law at UNM, or in the larger law community?
I have several great colleagues who are Black or from historically and systematically overlooked populations. But, the number of Black faculty at UNM generally is small. This is why the Black Faculty Alliance and UNM-Sisters groups at UNM are so important to connect with colleagues locally.
I am a member of Lutie A. Lytle Sisters, an organization named for a daughter of formerly enslaved parents who became one of the world’s first Black woman law professors. The Lytle Workshop was a gathering of over 130 Black women law professors and law deans from around the country. They carefully support current and aspiring Black women law faculty.
I have received feedback from my colleagues that students of all cultural backgrounds tell them that they were so happy to see someone who looks like me at the front of the classroom, as a sign that they too can accomplish big goals.
Any words of wisdom to share with students?
My mother, Rev. Dr. Sheila A. Gipson, passed away May 30, 2023. She was the best mommy who ever mommied and I am still in shock….
She would say, “Why not try? If it doesn’t work, do something else.” I encourage people to give it a try. You will be surprised at the adventures that are waiting on the other side of saying yes to life!