In this article, we argue that preparing and maintaining a cadre of culturally responsive teachers is critical to improving urban education and achieving educational equity. We discuss a collaborative, social-justice-oriented approach to teacher preparation committed to developing a stable and effective teaching force reflective of the student population within urban schools. Through narrative inquiry, we share stories of community insiders now teaching in urban classrooms. In doing so, we aim to complicate current debates about what it means to prepare highly qualified, effective teachers and to reassert the capacity of colleges of education to advance equity in U.S. schooling.