Often unrecognized for their accomplishments, women of color in educational leadership positions are change agents whose practices must be analyzed in order to transform education at all levels. Dr. Nadia Lopez is the founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy (MHBA) Middle School in Brownsville, New York City--one of the poorest…

The history of education for African Americans in the United States is one of struggle largely due to laws that forbade the education of enslaved Africans. Resultingly, education exists in a broader system of oppression. Historically, school desegregation displaced many Black teachers and administrators and ultimately forced Black professionals…

In this paper, educational pathways emerge from the nexus of ancient narratives and future possibilities. Such imaginings are as much attributed to the African American intellectual tradition as to contemporary Afrofuturisms, including those born in histories of Blackness. The overlay of what was and what is not yet is significant because it…

The discriminatory practices against African Americans during the Jim Crow era in St. Louis, Missouri did not deter Dr. Ruth Harris, the first African American female president of Stowe Teachers College (STC) in St. Louis, from accepting the challenge of leading the African American teachers' college from 1940 to 1954. Her appointment to President…

We describe the lived experiences of a Black Woman educational leader who has studied and worked in the academy and in the field of K-12 education. This partial life history, excavated through the tenets of Critical Race Theory (CRT), illuminates the social construction of race and the pervasiveness and permanence of racism. We determined through…

The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the leadership traits of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, an African-American woman of history, using the servant leadership theory developed by Robert K. Greenberg and the ten characteristics of servant leadership as conceived by Larry C. Spears. This exploration seeks to identify the significant…

There is a paucity of historical discourse on the distinct contributions of African American women serving as deans of women at historically Black colleges and universities. Using historical research and the case study approach, the analysis focused on three deans of women: Lucy Diggs Slowe--Howard University, Owena Hunter Davis--Johnson C. Smith…

This study examines aspects of Dr. Howard W Thurman's (1900-1982) career in higher education through the lenses of Black spirituality and critical race theory. The experiences of Howard Thurman offers distinct perspectives through which to interrogate the Black experience in American higher education and the intersections of race, religion and…

The purpose of this study is to document the segregated schooling reflections of Black school superintendents and explore how those experiences informed their educational philosophies in the post-desegregation era. Critical race theory is used as a methodological and analytical framework to present participants' reflections of living in segregated…

As the operational center of the Civil Rights Movement, the Black church fostered community, functioned as an educative space, and promoted collaborative efforts among churches. Similarly, the modern Black church has the opportunity to invest in educating, organizing, and mobilizing people within the church and the local community. By investing in…

This interpretive review draws on a number of Asa G. Hilliard's Kemetic (ancient Egyptian) writings to examine his conception of educational excellence in ancient Kemet and for African American education today. The review offers an interpretation of Hilliard's lifelong quest for excellence in education, which is especially revealed in his analysis…

The purpose of this article was to determine to what extent does a principal candidate's race determine his or her placement. Critical Race Theory was used as a theoretical framework to illuminate possible bias and provide socio-historical context. The authors surveyed 302 secondary school principals in a designated southeastern state concerning…

This article explores the issues of African American participation in the administrative ranks of the academy. The authors find that African Americans tend to hold positions that are marginal in academic organizations, lacking power and influence, and that not much has changed over recent decades. Forces influencing this condition are explored,…

From a life course perspective, this article examines how an intergenerational sample of 20 African-American women in Chicago describe and make meaning out of their struggles and advancements to make inroads into the principalship. Being born on opposite sides of the Civil Rights Movement distinguishes markedly how these women perceive their…