Leaders of Color Application - Education Reform Now

Leaders of Color (LOC) identifies, trains, and supports community-based Black and Brown civic leaders, empowering them with the tools and resources to advance educational equity and the broader cause of racial justice. Our groundbreaking program operates in three cities—Memphis, New Orleans, and New York—and has supported more than 80 fellows to date and is on track to train another 60 over the next two years.

Our country is in the midst of recognizing what has long been true—racial inequity is baked into every institution and systemic reform is required to bring about transformative change. This broad-based change will not be possible without Black and Brown leaders playing a driving role. Our Leaders of Color program fills in the gap between the tremendous talent of community-based leaders of color and the resources and investment required to empower those leaders to create lasting civic and electoral change.

The Leaders of Color program is seeking Black and Latino community leaders between the ages of 25-45 years old who aspire to public service and support education reform in their community. Our goal is to create an ecosystem of Black and Latino leaders, who have a hyper-focused lens on education. We specifically support leaders who may not typically have the opportunities and institutional support to run for public office, helping them develop the skills and leadership experiences needed to win and deliver on education equity. Ideal candidates will possess the following core competencies and characteristics:

Have demonstrated a deep commitment through action or orientation to the movement for educational excellence and equity
Are action-oriented leaders who have a history of community relationships and connections
Are committed and believe in public service as an extension of leadership
Have vision and purpose
Are interpersonally savvy

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through the end of this year until all spots are full.

If you have any questions email info.leadersofcolor@gmail.com.

*

Name

Email*

Email address

Phone Number*
Phone Number (best contact)

Address*
Address

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Date of Birth*
Date of Birth
Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY

Upload your resume*
Upload your resume

Bio*
Provide a short, 1 paragraph biography

Upload a headshot*
Upload a headshot

leadership*
Please tell us about your leadership skills and experience building and executing talent practices and systems.
Speak to your experience building or improving an organization; Identify a leadership role you play in any former (last 2 years) or current organization; Talk about bottoms up, grassroots building.

Policy knowledge*
Please tell us about your policy knowledge and your understanding of how to influence, motivate, and lead people.
Share your thoughts on our five core principles (Resource Equity, Teacher Quality and Preparation, Accountability, Public School Choice, Higher-Ed Quality & Affordability); Identify your core beliefs and absolutes, and identify any real policy solutions; Speak to what it will take to get people to buy-in and invest in a new way of working.

What do you do professionally*
Please speak about what you do professionally, links you have to leadership, and how it ties into the community.
Share how this program will give us the ability to enhance your profile and leadership skills; Identify your strengths and weaknesses and how a program like this can help enhance your skills; Identify any major milestones they want to achieve in life; Speak to examples of tough feedback conversations and challenging communication problems, especially across lines of difference.

Community relationships*
Please speak about community relationships/development, your community ties and your role in your community.
Speak to any examples of what you have done in the community over the past 3-5 years that has had some kind of impact; Identify 3 community stakeholders that would support you and/or you would be a champion for them; Speak about the importance of community organizing; Talk about any community organization you are affiliated with and, if any, leadership role you play with the organization; Talk about major issues that are facing your communities.

Running for office is hard.*
Running for office is hard. It's a very demanding experience. Do you have any concerns about taking this on?
If so, could you say more about that?

How did you hear about LOC?*
How did you hear about LOC?
LOC Alumni
Partner Organization
Word of Mouth
LinkedIn
Facebook
Other*

Other 2
*If you selected Other above, please provide clarity.

Closing Remarks
Closing remarks: Is there anything that we did not cover that you wanted to share?