Howard Fuller (activist) facts for kids
Howard Fuller (born January 14, 1941) is an important civil rights activist, a champion for education reform, and a university professor. He is well-known for his community work in Durham, North Carolina, especially with Operation Breakthrough. He also helped start the Malcolm X Liberation University in 1969.
In the 1970s, Fuller used the name Owusu Sadaukai and helped organize many African Liberation Day events. He was a strong supporter of Pan-Africanism, which is about uniting people of African descent worldwide. Later, Fuller became famous again as a leading voice for school vouchers, which help families choose different schools for their children. He was the superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools from 1991 to 1995. Today, he is a respected professor of education and leads the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Fuller's special way of fighting for change made him one of the most important civil rights leaders in North Carolina from about 1965 to 1975. His ideas changed and grew over time, sometimes even seeming to go against each other. But his journey shows many of the big discussions and challenges faced during the black freedom struggle in the 1960s, 70s, and beyond.
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Howard Fuller's Early Life and Education
Howard Fuller was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on January 14, 1941. He was the only child of Tom and Juanita Fuller, who were sharecroppers (farmers who shared crops with landowners). After his parents divorced, his mother moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to find work. Howard lived with his grandmother until he was seven, then moved to live with his mother.
He grew up Catholic and went to St. Boniface Catholic Parochial School. He was the only black student there. Even when he was young, he showed strong leadership skills. He was also a talented basketball player. His basketball skills helped him get a scholarship to Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where he studied sociology. He was part of the first class at Carroll that included students of different races.
Later, he studied at Case Western Reserve University and earned a Master's degree in Social Administration. He also received a Ph.D. in Sociological Foundations of Education from Marquette University in 1986.
Howard grew up in neighborhoods with different income levels and races. In Milwaukee, he lived in a neighborhood where people from all walks of life, from factory workers to doctors, lived close to each other. This created a strong sense of community and unity. Howard said that these experiences helped him see all races as equal and made him want to fight for civil rights.
Beginning His Civil Rights Work
While studying at Case Western Reserve University, Howard took part in his first protest in 1964. It was a sit-in against building a new school in a mostly black area of Cleveland. Protesters believed the school would lead to segregation. During this protest, he saw a difficult event involving a Presbyterian minister and a bulldozer.
This experience deeply affected Fuller. He said it was "the end of my non-violent career." It made him look at the ideas of Malcolm X differently. Before, he saw Malcolm X as teaching separation and violence, while he supported Dr. King's ideas of non-violence. But after the protest, Malcolm X's philosophies seemed less scary and more interesting to him.
Activism in Chicago
After graduating in 1964, Fuller moved to Chicago. He worked for the Urban League and the Congress for Racial Equality. Working in inner-city black communities helped him understand their struggles even more. This experience helped him become more radical in his views, moving towards the black power movement.
Operation Breakthrough and Black Power
In 1965, Fuller moved to North Carolina and started working at Operation Breakthrough (OBT). OBT was a non-profit group that helped poor communities gain power. It was funded by the North Carolina Fund, a state project that supported anti-poverty groups.
His time at OBT greatly increased his influence in the civil rights movement in the South. He became one of Durham's most important black leaders. This job also helped his ideas continue to grow, giving him a way to organize communities based on his black power beliefs.
As the director of community development, Fuller's job was to "stir people out of apathy." He didn't just give speeches. He went door-to-door in poor Durham neighborhoods, asking people about their problems. He helped them organize around everyday issues like garbage collection, street lights, and street paving.
Howard explained that he learned a lot about politics from the people he worked with in North Carolina. He started by organizing at the neighborhood level to get streets paved and houses fixed. This experience taught him the importance of power for the community. By getting people involved in these smaller issues, he could then lead them to demand bigger changes, like equal treatment for all.
Through his work at OBT, organizing protests and rallies, Fuller gained a reputation as a black power activist. By 1968, the Federal Bureau of Investigation even started watching his activities.
Malcolm X Liberation University and Pan-Africanism
On October 25, 1969, Fuller founded the Malcolm X Liberation University (MXLU) in Durham, North Carolina. It was a university for black students. Its goal was to provide education that was important to the needs of the black community and the fight for black liberation. The university closed on June 28, 1972, because of disagreements, staff changes, and not enough money.
The school's lessons were shaped by Fuller's black power views, and also by his newer ideas of Pan-Africanism and Marxism. Pan-Africanism is a movement that encourages the unity of all people of African descent. Marxism focuses on class struggle and economic equality. Fuller wanted the university to teach why capitalism should be changed, showing his Marxist beliefs.
MXLU faced controversy from the start. There were concerns about how it was funded, especially since government money was indirectly supporting Fuller's activities. Some politicians saw this as supporting violence, given Fuller's reputation. This led to efforts to stop funding for groups connected to Fuller. However, Fuller managed to keep public support by showing that other leaders were not truly on the side of the community.
After the initial funding, MXLU was supported by the Federation of Pan-African Institutions, a group of schools focused on black cultural nationalism. This Federation was mainly funded by the national Episcopal Church. MXLU received one grant from the Church but was denied a second one due to disagreements about the university's radical ideas. As a result, MXLU could not pay for its land lease and closed in 1972.
Fuller's adoption of more radical beliefs often put his influence at risk. But he continued to be an important figure in the civil rights movement, showing he was a skilled community organizer and leader.
Education Reform Today
After MXLU closed, Fuller went through a difficult period. He had a challenging experience with a radical group that made him rethink his extreme beliefs. This led him to move back home to Milwaukee.
In Milwaukee, he first worked as an insurance salesman. A year later, he became an associate director at Marquette University. In this role, he helped disadvantaged students get into the private university.
One of his early successes in education reform was stopping the Milwaukee School Board's plan to close and rebuild North Division High School as a special magnet school.
From 1991 to 1995, Fuller was the superintendent of the Milwaukee Public Schools. Today, he continues to work for changes in the education system. He strongly supports school choice, which means families should have options for where their children go to school. He also believes that teachers' unions should be changed. His non-profit group, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, supports school vouchers. These vouchers help children from low-income families attend private schools. He is a distinguished professor of education and leads the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University.
Howard Fuller's Changing Ideas
Howard Fuller's main goal has always been to help African Americans improve their lives. He has tried many different ways to do this. At different times, he focused on race, poverty, and class differences. In his early black power years, he focused on race. During his Marxist phase, he focused on class and poverty. Now, he gives equal attention to all three.
Throughout his career, education has been the main way he has tried to achieve black uplift. This is clear from his work starting with the founding of MXLU, to his time as superintendent, and his ongoing support for school choice.
His ideas have changed over time, showing how complex issues like racial inequality and poverty are. He has shown that race, education, poverty, and class are all connected.
Impact and Importance
Howard Fuller made a big impact in North Carolina as one of the state's most important civil rights leaders. He was good at finding issues that would get communities to act. He would help them demand solutions for everyday problems like street paving. Once people started getting involved, it was easier for him to lead them to demand bigger things, like equal legal treatment.
Howard Fuller's journey, though sometimes complicated, reflects the history of the civil rights movement itself. Like the movement, Fuller's career had many twists and turns. The disagreements over how to achieve common goals, which sometimes led to big problems in the civil rights movement, also contributed to the closing of MXLU. Fuller changed and grew as the civil rights movement changed, often holding different ideas within himself.
Images for kids
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Fuller, circa 1969
