Standing on the promises: a new generation of Black women scholars in educational leadership and beyond

Abstract

African-American women’s leadership experiences and “herstories” are absent from the leadership canon. In the context of preparation, practice, and research, a few cornerstones of leadership (power, control, authority, and influence) have historically been used in a negative fashion to marginalize, silence, and erase the accomplishments of historically underrepresented groups, i.e. women, African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, as well as gays, and lesbians. Often in the field of leadership preparation and leadership studies, the voices of the marginalized are not heard in the discussion or teaching of leadership theories, concepts, and research in general. Thus, it is a slanted view (as these articles have shown) of the concept. Therefore, in order to bring some balance to the field, the perspectives, experiences, and voices of Black women leaders are essential to the study of leadership.

Keywords:

• African-American women
• education
• educational leadership