Who is Robert Moses?
Inspired by lunch counter sit-ins in 1961, Robert Moses left a comfortable job teaching high school math in New York City to work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Mississippi. There, for three years, he organized sharecroppers to register to vote. His quiet strength and unshaken courage inspired thousands. In1964 his Mississippi Summer Project helped spark the Voters Rights Act of 1965, which finally assured all black Americans the right to vote. For many in the Civil Rights Movement, Robert Moses was the most influential leader, next to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His commitment to equality led in the 1980s to his starting The Algebra Project. Through this national effort, tens of thousands of poor inner city and rural students each year have honed their problem solving ability and become better prepared to succeed in our technological economy. Dr. Moses continues to work at social change through education. He is the recipient of several honorary doctorate degrees
Robert Moses was born on 18 December 1888 in New Haven, Connecticut. His parents, German–Jewish immigrants, were successful real estate businesspeople and active members of the local community. While Robert Moses graduated from Yale with a degree in Politics and Economy, his inherited passion for buildings never went away. After graduation, Robert Moses moved to New York City, where he tried, without success, to get involved in political reform. He eventually started working under the supervision of Al Smith, the running Governor of New York. The men quickly developed a good rapport, and Smith eventually appointed Moses as both Secretary of State and New York City’s Park Commissioner. Robert Moses returned to his love of buildings by taking on the development and construction of Jones Beach, the nation’s first public park system, and a series of massive swimming pools around the city. After presiding over a few public housing projects, Robert Moses became determined to change the city’
