This dissertation examines the lived experiences of Black men credentialed to be assistant principals and principals within a southeastern, urban public school district based upon the philosophies of equity and social justice. Through a qualitative constructivist approach, this research explores their experiences in and with education and how it has impacted their professional ascension. Timeline mapping interviews and one-on-one interviews were used to gain a more nuanced understanding of how they have traversed the requirements for securing an assistant principal or principal position within the district. As a philosophy, equity and social justice can be utilized to impact representation for students, teachers, and leadership. Central to this research is the proposal for a principal preparation and pipeline program within the district and for subsequent hiring practices that intentionally incorporate social justice to create representation in leadership that more closely mirrors the demographics of the student population and does not primarily relegate Black men to high-needs, majority-minority schools. The creation of a framework that encourages district-level leadership to identify bias in principal preparation, assigned duties, equitable representation and diverse placement will serve as an attempt to place the issues of preparation and representation into conversation by intertwining these elements to examine gaps in some settings and over-representation in others. The value of this work is the ability to create a more nuanced understanding and implementation of a framework of principal preparation that is intentionally grounded in aspects of history, personal and imposed identity, and justice in order to recognize and encourage future action towards the diminishment of oppression and othering through education in all forms and at all levels. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]