William Charles 'Bill' Ayers (born December 26, 1944, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois) is an American retired education professor, education activist, and former radical activist. He grew up in a privileged suburban Chicago family—his father was a high-ranking executive at Commonwealth Edison. Ayers' early career focused on education; at age 21, he co-founded and directed the Children's Community School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, inspired by the Freedom Schools of the Civil Rights Movement. During the 1960s, amid opposition to the Vietnam War, he co-founded the Weather Underground, a far-left militant organization known for its anti-war militancy that conducted bombings targeting public buildings and symbols of government power, resulting in the accidental deaths of three members but no civilian fatalities. After evading capture as a fugitive for several years (charges were later dropped due to illegal FBI surveillance), Ayers returned to academia, becoming a Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Education until retirement. He is renowned for his work in urban educational reform, teaching for social justice, and narrative research, and has authored numerous books. Ayers remains a polarizing figure—praised by progressives for his commitment to social justice and condemned by critics for his past associations with violence, though he has consistently denied intending harm and framed his actions as principled resistance, and he has been targeted by conservative campaigns.