About

Immediately following the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision to desegregate schools, up to 93 percent of black principals leading schools in the Southeast were removed from their positions.  This historic shift in leadership had a negative impact on the unique academic, social, and emotional needs of marginalized students that continues to this day.

Today, only one in five students has access to a school leader of color. As school populations continually grow more diverse, the percentage of nonwhite school leaders remains stagnant. 

The Freedom Fellows Institute is committed to changing that reality.

Freedom Preparatory Academy, founded and led by Roblin Webb, an African-American woman, is one of the few successful charter management organizations (CMO) in the United States.  The Freedom Fellows Institute was established to build on this success.  

The Freedom Fellows Institute prepares leaders of color to return to their home communities throughout the Southeast to found high-quality schools with creative solutions for helping students of color develop, heal, and achieve.

Our Mission

To identify, develop, and support talented leaders of color to found high-quality charter schools