This study investigated the factors that pushed and pulled social justice educators out of urban elementary and secondary (K-12) schools and into teacher education. The authors utilized an autoethnography and counternarrative methodology to examine the systemic and distinct factors that impacted four social justice educators' decisions to leave K-12 schools. Two central categories emerged: neoliberal K-12 push factors and pull factors that lured educators into academia. The study also revealed K-12 persistence strategies and describes the way educators reimagine their work in teacher education. It is imperative to learn how educators are maintaining their commitment to social justice on all fronts.