Robert Parris Moses
| Robert Parris Moses | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 23, 1935 Harlem, New York City United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Bob Moses |
| Alma mater |
Hamilton College (B.A. 1956) Harvard University (A.M.) |
| Occupation | Activist, educator |
| Organization |
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) |
| Known for |
Mississippi Freedom Summer Algebra Project |
| Title | Cornell University Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of '56 Professor |
| Term | 2006– |
| Predecessor | Cynthia McKinney |
| Movement | Civil Rights Movement |
| Awards |
MacArthur Fellowship (1982) War Resisters League Peace Award (1997) Heinz Award for the Human Condition (2000) Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship (2001) Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award (2002) James Bryant Conant Award (2002) Alphonse Fletcher, Sr. Fellowship (2005) Honorary Degree, Swarthmore College (2007) |
Robert Parris "Bob" Moses (born January 31, 1935) is an American educator and civil rights activist, known for his work as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee on voter education and registration in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement. He was a graduate of Hamilton College and completed a master's in philosophy at Harvard University.
Since 1982 Moses has developed the nationwide Algebra Project in the United States. He has received a MacArthur Fellowship and other awards for this work, which emphasizes teaching algebra skills to minority students based on broad-based community organizing and collaboration with parents, teachers and students.
Moses graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1952 and received his B.A. from Hamilton College in 1956. He earned an M.A. in philosophy at Harvard; in 1958 he began teaching at the Horace Mann School in the Bronx of New York City.
Robert Parris Moses developed as one of the most influential black leaders of the civil rights struggle, and he had a vision of grassroots and community-based leadership. Although Moses’ leadership style was different from Rev. Martin Luther King’s, King appreciated the contributions that Moses made to the movement, claiming they were inspiring. Moses initiated and organized voter registration drives in the South, sit-ins, and Freedom Schools for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
He currently runs the Algebra Project, which is a continued effort to improve math education in poor communities with the goal of sending more students to the workforce. Starting as a civil rights leader and transitioning into an advocate for the poor through his work with the Algebra Project, Moses has revolutionized the ideal of equal opportunity and has played a vital role in making it a reality.
...
Wikipedia