Aaron "Jitu" Brown is a lifelong organizer for education justice with over 32 years of experience fighting for equity in public education.

As a volunteer, board member, and staff, he has tirelessly worked for education justice. He played a key role in forming the Grassroots Education Movement, uniting community and labor to fight for equitable education, and was a founding member of the national Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools.

Jitu's dedication extends to his work within Chicago Public Schools (CPS), where he coordinated African-centered youth leadership programs for nearly 20 years and trained teachers on culturally relevant curriculum for five years. He has served for 15 years on various Local School Councils.

Jitu's organizing efforts have led to significant victories, including stopping school closings and expanding sustainable community schools. He developed the Sustainable Community Schools (SCS) model during the fight for Dyett High School, gathering community input to create a model that truly serves students' needs.

CPS PARENT
ORGANIZER
COACH
SCHOOL BOARD REP
PUBLIC SCHOOL CHAMPION

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Trusted champion for Westside of Chicago

Invested in neighborhood schools through adding 17 new sustainable community schools including (Austin HS, Oscar Depriest, Spencer)
Led the effort to stop the closure of 5 Acero charter schools by converting them into Chicago Public Schools
Strengthened charter schools' contracts to hold them accountable for meeting the needs of Special Education and ESL/ELL students
Helped secure a record 500 million in TIFF dollars to support public schools in 2025
Co-chair of the historic black student achievement committee to address the inequity our students face
Successfully protected Black and Brown students from ICE raids
Passed the green schools resolution to protect our students from environmental racism
Led the effort to pilot a new Key Swahili class in Chicago public schools

OUR PRIORITIES

My priority as a School Board representative Is to create of a world-class, pre-k through 12th grade system of education within safe walking distance of every District 5 home. This will be accomplished by:

Responsible expansion of the Sustainable Community Schools model, which centers community input and investment in neighborhood schools.
Ensure equitable access to early childhood education starting with pre-k
Equitable funding from the state of Illinois.
Increase the number of Black and Brown teachers
Support and strengthen local school councils
Culturally relevant curriculum throughout Chicago Public Schools
End punitive standardized testing in Chicago Public Schools

OUR PRIORITIES

My priority as a School Board representative Is to create of a world-class, pre-k through 12th grade system of education within safe walking distance of every District 5 home. This will be accomplished by:

Responsible expansion of the Sustainable Community Schools model, which centers community input and investment in neighborhood schools.
Ensure equitable access to early childhood education starting with pre-k
Equitable funding from the state of Illinois.
Increase the number of Black and Brown teachers
Support and strengthen local school councils
Culturally relevant curriculum throughout Chicago Public Schools
End punitive standardized testing in Chicago Public Schools