Abstract
In this chapter, the author discusses Black women's formal and informal ways of leadership and the good, the bad, and ugly of that leadership. This will be illustrated through the lens of servant leadership and Critical Race Feminist Perspective—an offshoot of Critical Race Theory. The “good” in the chapter will focus on the advantages and benefits of Black women leadership, while the “bad” focuses on the resistance to that leadership. Last, the “ugly” will focus on the sociopolitical debris that gets in the way of Black women leading and reaching their full potential as leaders in the academy.
TopThe Academy
One of the primary spaces where Black women (and men) are permitted and asked to assume senior leadership posts in the academy is in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) space—one of the riskiest spaces in the academy because, invariably, race, racism, and other forms of oppression will center one’s work (Ahmed, 2012; Flaherty, 2020; Lanier et al., 2022; Seegars & Ramarajan, 2019; Whitford, 2020; Williams & Wade-Golden, 2013). Despite being hailed as progressive and liberal in nature, many universities have not lived up to their reputations and are just now starting to hire and promote diversity practitioners to senior leadership appointments (Knox, 2023). This oversight demonstrates how grossly unprepared and unable higher education institutions have been when it comes to being ready to authentically talk and “do something” about the “diversity problems” in higher education—especially when these institutions continue to hemorrhage Black employees (Harris, 2019) and stakeholders are demanding “nothing about us without us” (Strega & Brown, 2015, p.3).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Equity: Formal and informal actions that take place to even the playing field among the marginalized and minoritized.
Diversity: The recognition that people have multiple identities, which can be intersecting.
Inclusion: Efforts or actions put in place to create a sense of belonging.
Jim Crow: This term refers to informal and formal (legislated) racism that served 1) to separate Whites from Blacks, and 2) to terrorize Black Americans until the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Jane Crow: This uncommonly used term refers to the institutional sexism, gender-based biases, and differential treatment that women identifying persons were subjected to until the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Black Woman: An individual who is Black, African, and/or pan-African identifying and female in person.
Perspective Gap: The dominant group member’s inability to empathize or understand the relegation of others due to their limited ability to see viewpoints outside their own.