Bob moses begins algebra project sncc digital gateway. Bob moses, one of the most important voices in the civil rights movement, is now on the creative edge of leadership again. Telling the story of this remarkable program, robert moses draws on lessons from the 1960s southern voter registration he. The algebra project math literacy is the key to 21st century citizenship. Algebra project founder on math literacy and civil rights. I agreed to take on the additional three students, remembered moses, and thus began the algebra project. Robert moses the algebra project the principles and. Bob moses has brilliant ideas of how to improve the school systems. Her research interests include the instruction of urban children. Well, i dont think that the democratic party to this day has confronted the issue of bringing into its ranks the kind of people that were represented by the mississippi freedom democratic party. Moses was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement as a field secretary for the student nonviolent.
Bob moses and the algebra project to work with harlem. The algebra project founded by civil rights activist and math educator bob moses in the 1980s, the algebra project is a national mathematics literacy effort aimed at helping. Moses mieko kamii susan mcallister swap wheelock college, boston. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading radical equations. An evening with bob moses center for africanamerican. There he explains how the principles of the civil rights movement can be applied to the fight for equitable public education. So, how does bob moses make abstract math interesting and intelligible to inner city children and children of the rural poor. Bob moses describes the algebra project s strategies. Freedom summer protests won progress at a bloody price.
New editions are produced annually and designed to help teachers translate their vision of a just education into concrete classroom activities. The book discusses the algebra project, an organization founded by 1960s civil rights leader bob moses, to teach algebra to kids in innercities and rural communities. Bob moses, civil rights veteran and teacher who is now 65, returns to mississippito promote his algebra project, which serves 10,000 students in. Civil rights activist bob moses, found of the algebra project, speaks at the algebra project s 25th anniversary forum, nov. Moses is a legendary civil rights leader and education activist. Moses and his family settled in cambridge, massachusetts, and he completed his ph. The algebra project founder and presidentand lead organizer of the famous 1964 mississippi freedom summer voting rights campaigntalks about math literacy as an organizing tool to guarantee quality public school education for all children. In this innovative new book, he shares stories from the civil rights movement and the algebra project to show us why math literacy for all children is a key next step in the ongoing fight for equal citizenship. Begun in 1982, the algebra project is transforming math education in twentyfive cities. When we told people the name of our subject, they would say oh bob moses of manhattans urban renewal. Thank you for considering the algebra project in your charitable giving plans. This is a very good book on how math literacy is the next civil right. Civil rights leader robert moses 56 to lecture news.
At a time when popular solutions to the educational plight of poor children of color are imposed from the outsidenational standards, highstakes tests, charismatic individual saviorsthe acclaimed algebra project and its founder, robert moses, offer a vision of school reform based in the power of communities. Three of moses children caught the wave of his passion and have since joined him in the algebra project as teachers. Today, three of moses children are involved in the algebra project as teachers and partners in the young peoples project. Bob moses, algebra project founder, with omo moses and. This is a tremor from the middle of the icebergfrom a stone the builders rejected. The beginning of the book reads like moses autobiography about his years organizing in mississippi. At the start of this project we knew little more than that moses was the founder of the algebra project. Moses was his son, omo moses, and albert sykes, a graduate of the. In 1980, moses was selected as a macarthur fellow and launched a new initiative, the algebra project, a mathematics literacy program aimed at lowincome students and children of color. Building communities that count the young peoples project. In 1976 bob and janet moses, both former organizer sncs foc ir n. For more information, contact ben moynihan at the algebra project.
His work in teaching algebra and organizing a community around the teaching of algebra was taking place where he lived. We at the algebra project are grateful twenty six years and counting to be able to continue to be housed at 99 bishop allen drive with so many wonderful people, and servicefocused organizations. The subject of our project is bob moses, robert parris moses. Mosess mississippi odyssey was about voting, chapter 2 is about algebra. Bob moses, president and founder of the algebra project the premise of this book is that mathematics is not just a set of rules and procedures to be memorized and regurgitated, but a relevant set of tools to make sense of the social injustice and power imbalances in our society.
Moses went on to found the predecessor of the young peoples project, the algebra project, in 1982, stating that math literacy had replaced voting literacy as the key to full citizenship for americans from poor and racialethnic minority communities. Beyond i have a dream campaign, we will cohost a conversation with bob moses and taylor branch about their books and the freedom movement of 1963 and 1964. Bob moses sncc digital gateway sncc digital gateway. Moses received his ba from hamilton college 1956, and his ma in philosophy from harvard university 1957.
In the 60s, bob moses organized africanamerican sharecroppers in mississippi for the civil rights movement. An evening with bob moses, civil rights legend and education activist. My rating for this book isnt a rating of the algebra project itself. Bob moses is the president and founder of the algebra project, inc. Bob moses had pioneered snccs voter registration organizing in mississippi during the early sixties. Bob moses was the quiet architect of mississippis freedom. In august, bob moses, founder of the algebra project, spoke at canios about his new initiative and book, quality education as a constitutional right. Moses designed the algebra project to use mathematics as an organizing tool to ensure quality public school. The book discusses the algebra project, an organization founded by 1960s civil rights leader bob moses, to teach algebra to kids in innercities and rural. It wasnt until we got them demanding to vote that we got attention. Jay gillen, author of educating for insurgency and a public high school mathematics teacher in baltimore, has worked with the baltimore algebra project bap for 20 years. They merge in his new book, radical equations beacon press.
Bob moses president and founder of the algebra project the premise of this book is that mathematics is not just a set of rules and procedures to be memorized and regurgitated, but a relevant set of tools to make sense of the social injustice and power imbalances in our society. Moses also fulfilled the last element of good organization. New york, ny june 14th, 2006 the algebra project, founded by civil rightsera leader and educator bob moses to improve math literacy among lowincome children of color, will hold a series of coaching sessions at teachers college this summer for third, sixth. To 60s civil rights hero, math is kids formula for. In 1980, moses founded the algebra project which strives to bring math literacy to low income citizens which he believes will help better the economic and social conditions for black and, in the larger sense, continue the civil rights struggle. Civil rights from mississippi to the algebra project, a book he wrote with.
Civil rights from mississippi to the algebra project. Merhling was open to the idea, especially if he was willing to work with the other three students who also requested algebra. I think what robert moses did during the civil rights and has done for education is courageous. School curriculum must change with the times and the study of math needs to be addressed. Algebra project founded by civil rights activist and math educator bob moses in the 1980s, the algebra project has developed curricular materials, trained teachers and teachertrainers, and provided ongoing professional development support and community involvement activities to schools seeking to achieve a systemic change in mathematics.
In 1982, bob was awarded a macarthur fellowship and used the money to found the algebra project. A plan book for social justice teachers is a plan book for educators who believe their students can and will change the world. Portrait of bob moses by robert shetterly, americans who tell the truth. Civil rights from mississippi to the algebra project kindle edition by moses, robert, cobb, charles e download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In 2001, moses published a book, radical equations. What moses learned from the early years in mccomb would influence snccs later activism in other parts of mississippi, southwest georgia, alabama, and moses s own algebra project, which stretched well into the twentyfirst century. Robert moses 56, one of the most influential black leaders of the civil rights struggle, founder of the algebra project, inc. Bob moses was the quiet architect of mississippis freedom summer in 1964 organizer too often eclipsed by more famous civil rights leaders, bob moses rarely gets the. Learn about moses current work at the algebra project. Bob moses describes the algebra project s strategies to connect math to students life experiences and everyday language. This truly is a wonderful example of the kind of collaboration that is transformative. In his book it seemed like no one liked math, the school board, the principles, teachers, parents or students but everyone recognized the importance of its place in. Now supported by the national science foundation, the algebra project is moses s ongoing work toward a just society.