Civil rights activist and education reform advocate Dr. Howard Fuller shares his powerful thoughts about what being unbought and unbothered mean to him – and what does bother him.
Dr. Fuller also shares his approach to having conversations with people with whom you fundamentally disagree and why words have such power, including importantly with the students who attend the charter school he founded, Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy.
Tune in to this remarkable conversation with a once-in-a-generation leader.
Episode Highlights:
02:20 - I've always tried to make sure that I represented what I believed in, no matter what the consequences are. And I've always tried to be both honest with myself and with the people that I represent and the people that I'm talking to. And so in that sense, I've never seen myself as someone who could be bought off, someone who you could tell me what to say, versus I'm going to say what I believe, and then everybody has to deal with it. I have to deal with it. The people who are listening to me have to deal with it. But I always wanted people to know that whatever it is I said, it's what I believe.
13:49 -The reality is no one wants to feel unimportant. I mean, in fact, sometimes when a kid is going off in a classroom or in a building, sometimes it's because they're trying to say, "Look at me." They're trying to figure out a way for who they are to become relevant.
16:22 - Never be afraid to make mistakes, the only way you cannot make mistakes is not to do anything. And so, in my view of the world, none of us are perfect. So, no matter what it is we do, there's the potential of mistakes. I've made a zillion mistakes in my life, but I'm never going to let the possibility of being an error stop you from pushing forward.
31:44 - What I'm trying to say to young people is success is not leaving the place that you came from. Success is leaving the place that you came from, and then coming back to that place and making a significant difference.
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Guest Bio:
Dr. Howard Fuller is a legendary activist and reformer. Born in Louisiana, he was raised in Milwaukee and has centered his life’s work in education reform and the school choice movement.
Dr. Fuller’s career includes many years in both public service positions and the field of education. He is the founder of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University, whose mission is to support exemplary education options that transform learning for children, while empowering families, particularly low-income families, to choose the best options for their children.
Immediately before his appointment at Marquette University, Dr. Fuller served as the superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools from 1991-95.
His prior positions included: director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services 1988 -1991; dean of general education at the Milwaukee Area Technical College 1986 – 1988; secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Employment Relations 1983 – 1986; and associate director of the Educational Opportunity Program at Marquette University 1979 – 1983. He was also a senior fellow with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University 1995 – 1997.
He has received numerous awards and recognition over the years, including four Honorary Doctorate Degrees: a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Carroll University; a Doctorate of Laws from Marian College; a Doctorate of Business and Economics from Milwaukee School of Engineering; and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Edgewood College.
In 2004, he co-founded Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, a tuition-free, nonprofit public charter high school open to all students in Milwaukee. HFCA has had a 100% college acceptance rate since 2012.
