Civil rights leader Bob Moses, a member of the Hamilton class of 1956, led a discussion on April 19 on social justice in American education. Moses, whose work has included the creation of The Algebra Project to improve quantitative literacy in disadvantaged schools, led students, faculty, staff, and community members in discussing educational inequality in America and how it can be addressed. The event was the first for the new Diversity and Social Justice Project at Hamilton.
The event was introduced by Jinnie Garrett, professor of biology and head of the Diversity and Social Justice Project. Garrett spoke about the project's mission to promote rigorous interdisciplinary intellectual activity at Hamilton around issues of social justice and diversity. Garrett defined social justice as a vision of society where all people, regardless of background, have equality of opportunity in pursuing a fulfilling life.
Bob Moses, Garrett said, is a prime example of a person who has dedicated his life to achieving this vision. After graduating from Hamilton in 1956, Moses became a central figure in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, serving as field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and co-director of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) and led the voter registration drives of Freedom Summer in 1964. Later Moses completed his doctorate in philosophy at Harvard University and taught high school math in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1982, Moses founded The Algebra Project, which promotes math literacy in inner-city and rural schools in order to give students the skills to succeed in the economic mainstream.
Moses began the discussion by leading the crowded KJ Auditorium in reciting the Preamble to the United States Constitution. "It does not say, 'We the President,' 'We the Congress,' or even 'We the Supreme Court,'" Moses said. "It says, 'We the People.' What I'm asking of us here today is that we act as 'We the People.'" Moses related some facts about education inequality in America and mentioned the fact that education is not currently considered a fundamental right. He then posed the question, "Should we amend the Constitution to guarantee that every child has a right to a quality public education?"
The conversation ranged from topics such as how one can define the quality of education, whether federal control of public education can solve inequalities, and what a Constitutional amendment would do to the debate about education. Many Hamilton students, professors and staff, as well as visitors from the community, voiced their opinions on the topic, often bringing in their personal experiences.
Moses summed up the discussion by saying that our current public education system in America acknowledges that it is running many failing schools, but responds to that by trying to save some students (through programs like school vouchers) rather than changing the system as a whole. "For the first time in our history, we should have a national discussion on education, and we should begin such a discussion at Hamilton," Moses said. "Are we capable of having a sustained discussion about the quality of education? That is my question to my country."
The discussion was followed by a reception around the rock swing in McEwen Hall, outside the new offices of the Diversity and Social Justice Project.
