To prepare future generations to serve their nation and lead its advancement, it is vital that their educators are well prepared and can teach diverse student populations effectively. Precisely because of the critical importance of highly prepared educators, equal opportunity to enter the US educator workforce remains a key issue. Ethnoracially diverse educators have been found to improve students' academic outcomes, socioemotional development, attendance and extracurricular activities, and sense of belonging. The history of educator development reveals that this country has not always afforded equal opportunity to all. Given the evidence of obstacles that ethnoracially diverse educators in particular have faced, educational leaders, scholars, and policy groups have launched concerted efforts to expand representation over the past few decades. Strategies have included tailored educator preparation designs such as grow-your-own programs to draw local talent to the profession, scholarships and fee waivers, recruitment campaigns, and other state and national policy efforts. There is a democratic imperative to provide all students with equal access to quality educators, and states that advance equal opportunity in educator development systems address this need.