Education Justice Fellow

Job Title: Education Justice Fellow

Job Location: Open to multiple options within Kentucky

Reporting Relationship: Supervised by KFTC’s Organizing Co-Director

Employment Type: Full Time; One year from date of hire.

Who We Are

KFTC is a grassroots organization with thousands of members and a dozen chapters across Kentucky organizing for racial, social, healing, and economic justice, a healthy environment, and an honest democracy. We believe in the power of community organizing - people working together to achieve common goals. KFTC members and staff use a range of organizing strategies to build grassroots power and make change, including leadership development, strategic communications, art and culture, integrated voter engagement, grassroots fundraising, alliance building, and we’re open to new, effective, and innovative ways centered in love, care, and collective growth & action as well.

KFTC’s leadership adopted the following vision and goal to guide our work through 2031:

Vivid Description: Kentuckians For The Commonwealth is a collective light, leading the way to a thriving, joyful, intergenerational, multi-cultural society where people are free from oppression and where equity, health care, and racial, economic and environmental justice exist for everyone. We are a beloved community where all people are connected and affirmed through healthy relationships, dedicated to achieving mutual liberation.

Audacious Goal: Guided by Black, Indigenous, People of Color and impacted communities, we will recruit, equip, and activate a network of 100,000 members and partners across all 120 counties to dismantle racism and all systems of oppression, to develop a robust democracy and transform the future of Kentucky.

What You’ll Do

KFTC is seeking to hire an experienced organizing fellow who is highly motivated, self-aware, creative, committed to lifelong learning and transforming the future of Kentucky while seeking to achieve mutual liberation for all. Working under the supervision of an Organizing Co-Director or Lead Organizer, this organizer will also collaborate closely with KFTC’s Organizing Co-Director, who manages KFTC’s education justice work.

We are especially interested in hiring a fellow to:

• Do strong, anti-racist, anti-colonial statewide organizing.
• Bring skills and experience doing and leading organizing movements for mutual liberation, grassroots fundraising, campaigns, membership building, door-to-door canvassing, 1:1s and more.

You will:

• Recruit, support, and activate a growing, diverse, skilled, informed, and value-aligned set of grassroots leaders in Kentucky whose lived experiences and values motivate them to work for racial justice and honest, equitable, fully-funded public education.
• Support KFTC’s Education Justice Team, members, and allies to advance a visionary, anti-racist, anti-colonial policy agenda related to honest, equitable, just, and fully-funded public education.
• Support implementation of organizing campaigns and strategies related to honest, equitable, just, and fully-funded public education; and education justice. Current priorities include strengthening and supporting Kentucky Public School Strong, along with policies that: increase funding of public education, increase mental health support in public education, ensure transparency of public decisions; oppose policies that: target educational equity, reduce public education funding, target diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, trauma-informed practices, promote school vouchers.
• Create opportunities for thousands of Kentuckians to grow as KFTC and Kentucky Public School Strong education justice leaders, which can look like: designing and facilitating workshops; providing one-to-one and small group coaching; planning high-quality webinars, conferences, and community meetings; lifting and supporting the perspectives & experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of culture residing in KY; creating clear and compelling written materials; organizing door-to-door canvassing; creating opportunities for people to take collective action and demonstrate solidarity; supporting people to take on various leadership roles and more.
• Represent KFTC within several key education justice alliances, and cultivate strong and healthy relationships that will lead to greater alignment, resources, and sharing strategies among allies at local, state, regional and national levels.
• Contribute to important organizational goals and priorities, including by centering anti-racist & anti-colonial principles and practices, participating as a strong and effective staff member, helping to raise resources through grassroots and foundation fundraising, and more.

Who You Are

You are deeply committed to KFTC’s vision and values, as well as grassroots organizing as an approach to change. Key attributes & guiding principles include, and are not limited to:

• Bringing a visionary spirit to the work and culture of the organization via brave imagination, innovative thought, and creativity.
• Persistently seeks to understand the specific experiences of historically marginalized groups in the U.S., particularly Black and Indigenous groups.
• Employs anti-racist & anti-colonial values, practices, and principles in your personal & professional life.
• Direct anti-racism and anti-colonial experience (e.g., direct experience in and/or with Black & Indigenous led justice movements, etc.)
• Is committed to being a lifelong learner who is open to flow and change, and capable of being open to giving, receiving, & applying Loving critique.
• Understands the importance and potential of building authentic solidarity between BIPOC folks and low-income white folks historically, presently, and as a guiding light. Has experience cultivating these relationships.
• Deep alignment with values, interests, principles, and policies related to KFTC’s Kentucky Public School Strong campaign and BIPOC led education justice movements.
• Experience with grassroots organizing campaigns and fundraising, preferably ones centered around Kentucky Public School Strong, and education justice through an anti-racist & anti-colonial lens.
• Prioritizes self-care for the purpose of collective care, as it is intrinsically tied to the energy infused in the work.
• Has and seeks to hone a conscious awareness of themselves and the people and environments they engage with.

Ideally, you have 3 or more years of experience in a similar role (volunteer experience is relevant). You have experience working with groups and developing other people as leaders, and are able to relate to Kentuckians from all walks of life and move people to action.

Strong interpersonal communication, group facilitation, and listening skills are essential. You are organized, strategic, able to cope with changing and uncertain circumstances, collaborative, courageous, and compassionate. What does it look like when we intentionally center healing, collective grief practices, and joy in our work & lives?

Strong, ever-growing, and intricate knowledge of self. Introspective and committed lifelong learner. Where are you currently located on your own personal healing journey, and how does it weave into your work?

You’ll need to work well independently; this job is very self-directed. We also need you to be skilled at working collaboratively in teams with volunteers and co-workers. Be comfortable using (and/or learning to use) technology, including Good platforms, databases, email, and Slack communication, and various social media platforms.

Additionally desired, yet not necessary, qualities and experiences include:

• Broadly familiar with Kentucky's political, economic, and education justice landscape.
• Familiar with local, state, and federal political institutions relevant to honest, equitable, and fully funded public education, and education justice policy in Kentucky.
• Has some knowledge, familiarity, direct experience, and/or willingness to learn about BIPOC led education justice movements, as well as Kentucky Public School Strong.
• Familiar with KFTC, HEAL Together, and our allies in the education justice movement.
• Experience with spokesperson development and media relations.

Finally, you excel in and are guided by these concepts & principles:

1. Commitment, creativity, and skills that pull yourself and us all towards liberation & Love.
2. Critical consciousness, analysis, thinking, and planning skills.
3. Self-direction, reliability, and resilience.
4. Holistic, self, interpersonal, and community building skills, meaning you come to this work as your whole and authentic self, regardless of space, place, and/or circumstance, with an alignment of mind, body, spirit & energy towards a vision of mutual liberation for all.

What Else You Should Know

1. This position will be open until filled; an ideal start date is in July 2026.
2. This position requires a full-time, flexible, 40-hour/week schedule with frequent in-state travel, some overnight travel, and some work on nights and weekends. A valid driver’s license and a vehicle that can be used for work are also required.
3. This is a one year Education Fellow position. It could expand in the future.
4. KFTC has offices in Louisville, Lexington, Covington, Bowling Green, Prestonsburg, and London, KY. KFTC staff work either mostly from home or some hybrid between home and office, depending on their schedule and responsibilities.
5. All employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and comply with safety policies and procedures, like masking and social distancing. Employees in need of an exemption from this policy due to a medical reason or because of a sincerely held religious belief must submit a completed Request for Accommodation.
6. The one-year salary for the Education Justice Fellow is $60,000.
7. Generally, KFTC’s staff receive an annual cost-of-living pay adjustment plus an additional across-the-board yearly pay raise.
8. KFTC currently provides free full family, health, dental, and vision coverage. We have a compensation time policy, 15 paid vacation days, 9 paid sick days, 3 paid personal days, and 11 paid holidays, as well as 5 days of closure time at year’s end. We offer 40 days of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child, and 20 days of paid family care leave. All staff are eligible for a month's paid sabbatical after 5 years. KFTC contributes to a Simplified Employee Pension plan after 3 years of employment.
9. This position is in the bargaining unit of the staff union, which is represented by the Chicago-Midwest Regional Joint Board, Workers United, an affiliate of SEIU.
10. KFTC is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, color, marital status, veteran status, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical size or weight, status as parent or caregiver, pregnancy status, ancestry, or physical or mental disability that can be reasonably accommodated without undue hardship.

Our equal employment opportunity philosophy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, training, promotion, transfer, job benefits, pay, and dismissal.

KFTC aims to be guided by people most impacted by the issues at the center of our work. People of color, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQIA2S+ people are encouraged to apply.

KFTC currently provides free full family, health, dental, and vision coverage. We have a compensation time policy, 15 paid vacation days, 9 paid sick days, 3 paid personal days, and 11 paid holidays, as well as 5 days of closure time at year’s end. We offer 40 days of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child, and 20 days of paid family care leave. All staff are eligible for a month's paid sabbatical after 5 years. KFTC contributes to a Simplified Employee Pension plan after 3 years of employment.

This position is in the bargaining unit of the staff union, which is represented by the Chicago-Midwest Regional Joint Board, Workers United, an affiliate of SEIU.