ABSTRACT
One of the charges given to the authors in this book was to address mathematics education for African American children through the theme of liberation. As suggested by the two quotes presented above, this charge acknowledges the continuing struggles against oppression and degradation that must be waged in U.S. society on behalf of African American children. These struggles are particularly necessary in research and policy settings, where ongoing discussions of racial achievement gaps and comparisons to white and Asian American students contribute to a pernicious assault on Black identity and humanity (Themstrom & Themstrom, 1997, 2004). This charge also suggests a need to examine mathematics education-and its logical canons-not only as a site where degradation of African American children occurs but also as a site where liberatory resistance against oppressive social myths and practices can, and must, be enacted.
