The experiences of Black women staff were at the forefront of this study as a way to create space for Black women by a Black woman. The experiences of staff and more specifically staff a color are often an afterthought (Cho & Brassfield, 2022) which has created some cultures of toxicity (Steele, 2018) and expected niceness (Liera, 2020). Black…

This conceptual essay explores the contentious discourse surrounding Coach Prime Deion Sanders' decision to leave Jackson State University (JSU), a historically Black college and university (HBCU), for the University of Colorado (CU), a predominantly white institution (PWI). Using King's principle of Black historical contention and Glaude's…

This study explores specific examples of social pressures and performances Black women student affairs professionals have navigated, adapted, and challenged since the pandemic's beginning (2020) to the present era. While utilizing Black Feminist Performance Theory (BFPT) and radical Black subjectivity (hooks, 2015), this study centers on the…

Although research has been conducted on the lived experiences of Black student affairs professionals and academic advisors at Historically White Institutions (HWIs), the literature is scant in its representation of the larger body of Black Professional Staff (BPS) and their experiences. BPS are undervalued and disregarded and are a vital part of…

"Plantation politics" refers to the lingering impact of slavery's afterlife or how vestiges of enslavement permeate contemporary culture, including institutions of higher education (IHEs; Hartman, 2008; Squire et al., 2018; Williams et al., 2021). For Black women administrators (admins), the enduring legacy of caretaking, bodily control,…

This critical autoethnographic study explored my multifaceted journey of being Black and female in administration within a predominately white higher education institution. I drew upon personal narratives and reflections from 25 years of experience in higher education. This study explored the intricate intersections of race, gender, and power…

Leadership in higher education revolves around relationships between leaders and campus stakeholders. Senior Black leaders (SBLs) at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) carry an extra burden in navigating relationships due to the salience of their race. They face many challenges around racism, microaggressions, and other discriminatory…

In this study, I focused on African-American women who have pursued and continue to pursue administrative roles at a predominately White institution in the Midwest. Using a phenomenology approach, that employed an initial questionnaire sent to various marginalized groups in the Midwest to women who fit the research criteria. After completing the…

In current scholarly literature examining the representation of Black women within higher education institutions, considerable attention has been devoted to the experiences of higher-level administrators and entry level roles in higher education. Research on the experiences of Black women in mid-level roles, however, is conspicuously lacking as it…

Creating uncertainty and stress, the COVID-19 pandemic and increased attention on racial relations, drastically changed how higher education and student affairs operated. For African American women, combatting racism and sexism has always been a daily occurrence in their professional and personal life but the pandemic heightened the challenges…

Historically, Black women have been underrepresented in top-level leadership positions in colleges and universities in the United States (Parker, 2015). Despite the fast-growing diverse student population and initiatives aimed at diversifying leadership programs and addressing pay equity gaps (Bartman, 2015; Chance, 2022; Patton & Croom,…

The Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) position has a unique responsibility to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across college campuses, however, it does not award individuals serving in these roles an exemption from racial ostracism. In this study, the author investigates how anti-blackness prevents African-American CDOs from fulfilling…

For higher education to be responsive to the changing national and student population, its leadership must be "reflective of the world around it, (which) will be key to managing the challenges of today and the unknown challenges of tomorrow" (American Council on Education, 2017, para. 4). Unfortunately, despite the increasing diversity…

Structured from a qualitative research design, this meta-synthesis explored the lived experiences and perceptions women of color hold regarding their leadership within higher education. The purpose of the study was to generate understanding of said experiences and examine women of color leadership persistence within higher education, especially…

Defining leadership and student leader identity often brings a complex and complicated reality for Black students in higher education settings. Leadership identity, models, and practices are often grounded in Whiteness, heteronormativity, and cis-heteropatriarchy, which causes complex ways of understanding leadership. Thus, the purpose of this…