Civil rights activist and math literacy pioneer Robert Moses ’56 was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in April.
Moses was a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee on voter education and registration in Mississippi during the civil rights movement. His vision of grassroots and community-based leadership led him in 1982 to use a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship to create the Algebra Project, a national program that emphasizes teaching math skills to historically underserved populations with the goal of sending more students into the workforce.
Since its founding in 1780, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences has elected more than 13,500 members. Other Hamiltonians include Robert Connor ’56, former director of the National Humanities Center and former president of the Teagle Foundation; Michael Keller ’67, vice provost and library director, Stanford University; William Luers ’51, former U.S. ambassador ... and Alexander Hamilton himself.
Among the 2021 inductees are atmospheric scientist Anne Thompson; neurosurgeon and medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta; biotechnology leader Tony Coles; and media entrepreneur and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey.
According to the academy’s website, “Academy members are world leaders in the arts and sciences, business, philanthropy, and public affairs. They are based across the United States and around the world. These elected members join with other experts to explore challenges facing society, identify solutions, and promote nonpartisan recommendations that advance the public good.”
