ABSTRACT
African Americans, like other racial-ethnic-cultural groups, determine the functional signifi cance of literacy based on their successful negotiation in educational, economic, family, and social contexts. It is not surprising, then, that although anecdotal accounts of what literacy means in AfricanAmerican communities yield a range of introspections, the collective tone of these accounts suggests that literacy is not only important, but is requisite for human[e] existence and “successful” survival. (Qualls, 2001, p. 3)
Culturally relevant teaching involves students in the knowledge-construction process, so that they can ask signifi cant questions about the nature of the curriculum. Th e ultimate goal is to ensure that they have a sense of ownership of their knowledge-a sense that it is empowering and liberating. (Ladson-Billings, 1994, p. 77)
We raise this question: Why should African-American children learn mathematics? Having raised this question, we give specifi c attention to the embedded questions that include: Why should African-American children learn mathematics? Why should African-American children learn mathematics? Th ese latter two questions highlight the necessity of giving particular attention to the needs and realities of African-American children as African-American children, on the one hand, and specifi cally situating mathematics in the lives of these children, on the other.
