Intersectionality and leadership in context: Examining the intricate paths of four black women in educational leadership in the United States

ABSTRACT

There is an emergent body of scholarship about the specific ways in which Black women lead within the context of education. In the United States, women comprise three-quarters of the educational workforce. Yet, roughly four in five senior-level leaders in education are male. Although developments continue to be made, only very recently has significant advancement been made in what remains a historically male-dominated space. Black women represent the most educated group in today’s workforce; yet, they represent a small fraction of leaders who ascend above the ranks of mid-level management. In response to this, we were compelled to add to the existing research in this sphere. Our paper incorporates social justice leadership theory as a frame for the study of Black women in the context of educational leadership. Employing a hermeneutic phenomenology, we interviewed four Black women in educational leadership to examine the intersecting factors (i.e. race and gender) that impact these women’s ability to lead. Using in-depth, timed, semi-structured interviews, contributors reflected upon their unique experiences and perceptions as non-archetypal leaders. Participants’ recounted stories of resilience, community, struggle, and perseverance revealed the need for more US-based research specific to the intricate leadership journeys of Black women in education.

Supplemental data

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Notes

1. See Appendix D, Guiding Questions/Prompts, for the full list of interview questions.

2. Annie Corene, EdD, early-50s, Southwest, Southeast, & Northeast regions

3. Simone Freeman, PhD, mid-40s, Northeast & Southeast regions

4. Jacqueline Goldsworth, EdS, late-50s, Northwest & Southeast regions

5. Merriam-Webster defines ‘working class’ as ‘the class of people who work for wages usually at manual labor’ (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/working%20class).

6. Monique McCallister, LLC, early-40s, Northeast & Southeast regions

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Natasha N. Johnson

Natasha N. Johnson is a faculty member in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University. She also serves as the director of the M.I.S. program in Criminal Justice Administration. A career educator since 2001, her research is focused on critical theory, equity, and social justice leadership, particularly within the K-20+ sector. Her other research areas include intersectionality, educational law, policy, and governance, and curriculum development. Dr. Johnson holds multi-state reciprocity and has previously served as a teacher, guidance counselor, assistant dean, instructional leader, and curriculum developer in New York, Mississippi, and Jamaica, W.I. She currently serves as the ACJS (Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences) Executive Counselor for both the Restorative and Community Justice and the Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship sections. She was also named a 2019 UCEA (the University Council of Educational Administration in conjunction with the American Educational Research Association (AERA)) David L. Clark scholar. A Georgia State University alumna, she earned her Doctor of Education from the College of Education and Human Development in May 2019. Her work has been published in the Taylor & Francis Routledge Focus series, Sage, Criminal Justice Review, and USA Today.

Janice B. Fournillier

Janice B. Fourniller is an Associate Professor in Georgia State University’s (GSU) College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). Her research stretches across international borders impacting her academic peers as well as practitioners, graduate students, policymakers, and community members in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Finland. From her original, critical look at indigenous mas’ making – teaching and learning among Caribbean – to her work in the U.S. where she investigates pedagogy and identities of teachers and teacher educators, she has worked across international contexts as an ethnographer on some of the most current, relevant, and progressive topics including native voice, immigration, and urban education. During her decade-long tenure, Dr. Fournillier has made important contributions to her discipline by way of her scholarly work that connects qualitative and quantitative research methods, teacher education and educational policy. A contributor to more than 40 articles on qualitative research methodologies and book chapters, Dr. Fourniller is also a past recipient of external research funding from the National Science Foundation and the Spencer Foundation. In addition, as a seasoned evaluator and consultant on a range of school and community-based programs and initiatives, she has played an instrumental role as the qualitative methodologist and co-Principal Investigator on several externally-funded mixed-methods multi-year evaluation studies for the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Department of Human resources, helping these agencies fulfill mandated reporting and performance requirements.