My fellow fractions, negative numbers and
decimals, I come to you with a heavy heart
today. For I know that though I stand in front
of you today as the proud fraction ¼, many
of our brothers and sisters are not so strong.
My friend 7.4 sits at home today in fear.
My neighbor who lives just on the other side
of the 0 on the number line never gets the
recognition she deserves, simply because she
is a negative number.
The number line isn't a social structure,
it is simply a line that indicates position
among and between numbers, and we are all
on that number line, even if we aren't whole
numbers. My friends, the time has come for
us to stand up for ourselves and stop being
treated as second-class numbers.
Can we not be added like whole numbers? Is
it not true that we can be multiplied, divided,
even subtracted?
We live in a world that says the number two
sits on the number line between 1 and 3,
and I say to you today, the number ½ sits
on the number line between ¼ and 4/5ths.
Come on 5/7ths, I'm talking to you,
and as for you 15/3rds ... people run in fear
from this improper fraction, because they
don't even know it is just a number and belongs
on the number line.
even you, negative 2/3rds. You are just as
important as the whole numbers and it's time
you get your due!
Fight for your place on the number line! Fight
for equality and recognition. We will not
rest until every middle school student summons
their passion and joins our campaign by shouting
from their desk:
A fraction or a decimal is just like any other
number and deserves to be recognized on the
number line! We are not to be judged by our
decimal points or the fact we have numerators
and denominators.
Whether you call me .25, ¼, 2/8ths, even
7/28ths, I still have my place on the number
line!
Join with me in my fight for numerical rights,
and stand proud on the number line!
