Vanessa wrote these words on a mathematics project I taught to middle school students titled, "Mortgage Loans — Is Racism a Factor?" To begin the project, I had the students read a Chicago Tribune article that analyzed mortgage rejection rates for African Americans, Latinos, and whites in 68 different metropolitan areas. The students mathematically analyzed data and wrote essays about whether racism was a factor, using data and arguments from the article. The mortgage project is an example of how I use mathematics to teach for racial justice.

A central part of teaching for social justice is to work for a society where racism is reduced and, eventually, eliminated. But racism is so deeply embedded in the history, consciousness, and fabric of U.S. life that to remove it will take long-term, concentrated efforts. We need to understand racism, its genesis and manifestations, and also build schools and classrooms that explicitly promote racial justice (and that are linked to anti-racist social movements on a broader scale).

I have occasionally taught middle school mathematics in a Chicago public school, located in a low-income, Mexican immigrant community, as part of my job as a university-based mathematics educator. I use ideas of teaching for social justice along with helping students develop mathematical power (being able to reason and communicate mathematically, develop their own mathematical thinking, and solve real-world problems in multiple and novel ways) — and pass the "gatekeeping" standardized tests.

Through studying these experiences and other learnings, I have come to certain ideas about teaching mathematics for racial justice. In my view, racial justice curriculum should provide students opportunities to:

Develop an understanding of the sociopolitical, cultural, economic, and historical dynamics of racism, along with their interconnections.