Charter schools have seen a nearly tripling in students, with approximately 3.1 million students enrolled in 2016-2017. As of 2017, 1 in 8 African American students attended a charter school in the United States. This article provides a conceptual introduction to a special issue on equity issues within the charter school movement, with a particular focus on market-based choice. The evidence shows that while some students of color have benefitted from attending charter schools throughout the course of the last few decades, this reality does not negate the need to ensure that charter schools as an institution aren't serving to further perpetuate inequalities throughout society. Considering the research, market-based school choice approaches are a vehicle for the further segregation of schools based on racial and socioeconomic lines, less parental involvement in governance, and problematic environments for educators. In summary, the predominance of data and peer-reviewed literature demonstrates that the vast majority of charters have not produced the equity and access benefits that proponents put forward in the political space and public conversation.