This study aims to identify the difficulties faced by black women who aim to occupy a leadership position within corporations, in addition to evaluating the process of black women who already occupy such a position. The evaluation will be carried out through research designed for such audiences and data collected by scholars on the subject.

This critical in-depth interview study examined four Black women principals’ perceptions, descriptions, and enactments of school leadership as it relates to their intersectional identities as being both Black and women. The tenets of Black feminist epistemology and the theory of intersectionality form the conceptual framework of this study. Research demonstrates that Black women leaders’ multiplicative identity as Black and women influences their experiences and perceptions of leadership. The principals’ perceptions of school leadership developed into several categories and two themes: student-centered leadership and perceptions of racial stereotypes and deconstructing perceptions about Black women.

This chapter is a literature review and synthesis of historical and contemporary research examining the achievements and critical barriers to career progression for Black woman administrators in higher education. The chapter will review the theoretical lenses and historical advancement of Black women in higher education leadership, identify career barriers, and consider the supports Black women leaders use to remain in higher education administration. This chapter will contribute to understanding the trajectory of Black women leaders in higher education by bringing awareness to the barriers and identifying the supports that could inform strategies to improve the retention of Black women leaders.

The low numbers of black women working at senior levels in UK organisations remain distressingly low, despite the increasing efforts to develop a diverse leadership pipeline. The gender pay gap data has shown a significant increase in the number of white women in senior roles across sectors. While the ethnicity pay gap data has shown the opposite, in relation to the progress of black women in leadership roles. A simple explanation is that black women are members of two marginalised groups (black and female) and experience greater discrimination, a ‘double jeopardy’, compared to the discrimination faced by individuals that hold one marginalised identity (i.e. white women or black men). The complex and interconnected nature of inequalities associated to the intersection of gender and race tends to be missing from debates about women in leadership. The conceptual framework for this study incorporated intersectionality theory and organisational psychodynamic theory, to explore the experiences of 10 black women senior managers working in the Ministry of Justice. The aim of this presentation is to show how black women deployed strategies to challenge negative gender racial stereotypes; tolerate opposition in a white male patriarchal organisation, and overcome the obstacles of unconscious or implicit bias. In doing so, the discussions will create an opportunity for social change. It will raise awareness about the intersectionality of gender and race amongst leaders, which in turn, will decrease workplace discrimination, to foster a more conducive environment to promote black women into leadership roles. Including black women in leadership debates will also provide an opportunity to seek resolutions to address the underrepresentation of this group in senior positions.

In recent years, anecdotal data have suggested an increase in the number of Black women in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA). However, there does not appear to be a significant increase in the number of Black women in leadership roles within the field (e.g., clinical directors, heads of university and college ABA programs). Since the diversity of providers and leadership in the field is an important factor in effectively meeting the diverse needs of ABA consumers, the lack of Black women leaders in the field can be described as problematic. Identification of the potential barriers some Black women face when pursuing and attaining positions of leadership in the field of ABA, such as a lack of diversity, stereotypes, and insufficient access to mentors and sponsors, may serve as an effective first step to ameliorating the problem. Recommendations to address identified barriers, including a conceptually systemic plan for data collection that includes racial and gender data, paired with the use of reflective practice by ABA practitioners, and additional diversity and inclusion research in the area of organizational behavior management. Recommendations are offered.

A psychologically safe work environment allows women to thrive as leaders and fully utilize their skills. When someone has personal psychological safety within themselves and applies it to their leadership aspirations, it gives them additional tools to use on their career journey. This chapter aims to present elements of internal psychological safety that Black women can use on their leadership journey to become successful leaders no matter what obstacles they encounter. The elements are employee empowerment, employee voice, employee connections, and employee meaning. All four elements work together to provide powerful results. These elements allow Black women to be prepared as they navigate and ascend in their careers. The chapter also provides strategies that women can immediately implement on their journey for each one of the elements.

This article explores adversity and the lived experiences of Black women in higher education leadership. Using phenomenology, this study specifically explores how Black women in higher education leadership navigate the adverse challenges of intersectionality, stereotype threat, and tokenism. Black women in leadership undergo adversity including limited role models, the concrete ceiling, and the intersectionality of racism, sexism, and ageism, as well as tokenism. The current findings validate that Black women in higher education leadership experience adversity. Some of the more salient codes that emerged were discrimination such as racism, sexism, ageism, and the intersection of these challenges with identity, cultural diversity and belonging, resilience, and leadership callings. Referred to as “superwomen,” Black women are resilient and strong. The results of this study reveal that Black women use adversity as fuel, thus helping them develop the necessary skills to prepare them for leadership. Their strength through adversity is driven by the resilience that has manifested as motivation factors such as family and relationships, mentorship and sponsorship, as well as the support of cultural identity and diversity. The current findings support the notion that adversity shapes Black women into leaders with an emphasis on higher education leadership.

American Black women bring different interpersonal leadership styles to Fortune and non-Fortune 500 organizations. Their interpersonal leadership styles are developed at home, within their community, through their educational experiences, and within society. They bring unique perspectives to the workplace. Organizations that recognize, respect, and value their different viewpoints have leaders who are contributing to the financial growth of their organizations. American Black women have career capital to offer to organizations through their self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and the leadership strategies that they understand and apply in the workplace. In addition they bring high educational achievement, practical skills, and analytical abilities that are useful when leading others. They bring a persistent work ethic, support for education and leadership development, and an enduring spirit of cooperation in the midst of undeserved, personal challenges to the workplace. They solve problems, help others succeed, enhance the workplace environment and organization culture, and help their organizations maintain competitive advantage in an evolving global economy.

The “multiple jeopardies” that often act as barriers for Black women in both leadership and society may be the same barriers that provide the uniquely diversified leadership perspectives needed to address a rapidly changing global society. However, the dominant image of leadership is still primarily White and male. Disrupting this image calls for the centering of little-known lived experiences and insights from those on the margins of the leadership narrative, such as the 15 Black women graduate student participants included in this phenomenological study. Findings from this study highlight the hidden and invisible obstacles facing Black women, as well as how these obstacles impact: (a) perceptions of their leadership qualities, (b) personal leadership philosophies, and (c) potential employers.

1. Inventing herself: examining the intersectional identities and educational leadership of Black women in the USA Sonya Douglass Horsford and Linda C. Tillman 2. This bridge called my leadership: an essay on Black women as bridge leaders in education Sonya Douglass Horsford 3. Leading through the challenge of change: African-American women principals on small school reform April L. Peters 4. The intersection of race and gender in school leadership for three Black female principals Latish Cherie Reed 5. Making the case for the outlier: researcher reflections of an African-American female deputy superintendent who decided to close the achievement gap Karen Stansberry Beard 6. When care trumps justice: the operationalization of Black feminist caring in educational leadership Lisa Bass 7. Race, gender, and leadership identity: an autoethnography of reconciliation Patrice McClellan 8. Advancing our legacy: a Black feminist perspective on the significance of mentoring for African-American women in educational leadership Cosette M. Grant 9. Inventing ourselves: an informed essay for Black female scholars in educational leadership Linda C. Tillman 10. Standing on the promises: a new generation of Black women scholars in educational leadership and beyond Judy A. Alston