This course explores the history, philosophy, and pedagogical practice of the Algebra Project. Founded by civil rights veteran and community activist Bob Moses, the Algebra Project is a math literacy program based on the principle that all children deserve an education that encourages and supports them in the development of the knowledge and skills necessary for 21st century citizenship. It draws on the lessons and legacy of the Civil Rights movement, and especially of the movement’s “community organizing tradition.” We will investigate this tradition and the broader movement history of which it was a part, studying how this history informed the founding and development of the Algebra Project. This will include looking at the ideas and influence of Ella Baker on the movement in general and on Bob Moses and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in particular. Our study of the Civil Rights movement will also focus on the Freedom Schools that activists organized during the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project (“Freedom Summer”). From there we will examine other theories of radical and liberatory educational practice before moving to an examination of current challenges, concerns, and crises in our public education system. All of this will provide the basis for our in-depth analysis of the Algebra Project as well as the Young People’s Project (YPP), a youth-initiated and youth-led movement. The YPP has grown out of the Algebra Project to project and expand its vision of education, community organizing, and citizenship for the 21st century.