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OUR VISION
FCCS envisions an inclusive America in which the self-determination of Black and Brown families is realized, respected, and prioritized so that every parent has the right to choose the best school for their child and every child has access to exceptional educational options, including high-quality public charter schools, developed and led by Black and Brown leaders to improve our most underserved communities.
OUR MISSION
FCCS is a non-partisan non-profit organization that advocates for equitable access to quality public school options for Black and Brown communities as the key driver of economic empowerment and educational advancement.
OUR STORY
2019
FCCS was founded by Dr. Howard Fuller to expand access to public charter schools led by Black and Brown leaders. We launched FCCS in coalition with over 250 Black and Brown leaders from 21 states serving more than 1 million Black and Brown families to amplify the voices of charter school leaders of color.
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2020
Our #SaveOurCharters national campaign challenged the anti-charter narrative of Presidential candidates and were pivotal in silencing that platform for candidates like Elizabeth Warren.
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2021
FCCS launched a targeted campaign, mobilizing hundreds of Black and Brown public school leaders, parents and students, to ensure the next U.S. Secretary of Education would be a leader of color to represent the voices of families nationally. We supported the nomination and appointment of Miguel Cardona to the role.
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2022
FCCS co-sponsored a national coalition of parents and advocates to challenge the Federal Charter School Program (CSP) funding regulations and helped successfully roll back harmful regulations.
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2023
FCCS is mobilizing 7,000 Black and Brown public school leaders and families to advocate for equitable access to high-quality public schools. Our efforts include engaging policymakers on equitable funding and school choice issues in states including WI, CT and TX, launching a campaign to collect and share charter school stories from Black and Brown communities, testifying at city council hearings and hosting monthly partner policy forums.
JAY ARTIS-WRIGHT,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jay Artis-Wright is the executive director of the Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools (FCCS), an organization established in 2019 to bring the voices of Black and Brown charter school leaders, our founders, advocates, and the families to the forefront. She has more than 20 years of experience holding diverse educational roles intersecting advocacy, political campaigning, leadership development, and community organizing. Before stepping up to lead FCCS, Jay was one of the critical members of the organization in the trenches during the 2020 presidential candidate debates. She was a key strategist and organizer, building relationships with school leaders and parents across the country.
Before leading FCCS, Jay was the Executive Director of Parent Revolution, a parent-based advocacy organization, and Vice President of Policy and Public Affairs for the California Charter Schools Association. From leading, policy initiatives focused on education equity, teacher diversity, and school funding to building outreach strategies for education-based legal challenges, Jay’s multifaceted career also includes training advocates on organizing and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She has successfully secured policy wins for charter schools and coached parents and teachers running for local school board seats.
A dedicated advocate for quality schools, Jay started her career with Upward Bound, a Federal Trio Program designed to provide college preparation for first-generation, low-income high school students. She was also a founding Board member of a charter School in Plainfield, New Jersey, and worked exclusively on the growth and expansion of charter schools led and founded by educators of color. Jay holds a master’s degree in Urban Development from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from CSU Sacramento. An avid world traveler, Jay, has lived in several countries around the globe and currently resides in southern California with her husband and three children.
NATASHA ROBINSON,
DIRECTOR OF PROJECTS
LAURETTA ROSADO,
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
FCCS BOARD MEMBERS
DR. STEVE PERRY,
CHAIR
DAVID P. HARDY,
VICE-CHAIR
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FCCS FOUNDER
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DR. HOWARD FULLER,
FOUNDER
Dr. Howard Fuller is a civil rights activist, education reform advocate, and academic. He is best known for the community organizing work he did in Durham, North Carolina as an employee of Operation Breakthrough, and as a co-founder of the Malcolm X Liberation University in 1969. In the 1970s, Fuller adopted the name Owusu Sadaukai, organized several national African Liberation Day celebrations, and was one of the foremost advocates of Pan-Africanism in the United States. Decades later, Fuller rose again to national prominence as one of the leading advocates for school vouchers. He served as the superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools from 1991 to 1995 and is currently a distinguished professor of education, and founder/director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.