African American women in higher education have faced challenges as they have sought to advance to a senior-level position. The literature demonstrates that African American woman has been confronted with racial bias. African American women have been described as too emotional to hold positions of authority or senior-level positions. Some…

My dissertation is unique and contributes to the academic literature because it explores the barriers that retired and current African American women face while pursuing and working in higher education leadership roles in Arkansas. Using a narrative inquiry design, I interviewed 17 retired and working leaders by asking them to share their personal…

Christian African American women in leadership have unique lived experiences. Although God calls women to lead, they often meet challenges in ministry and the marketplace. Developing into a great woman in leadership requires intentionality and preparation. This study explored the perceptions and perspectives of Christian African American women in…

By framing the phenomenon of resilience around adverse, harmful experiences and drawing a direct relation to positive outcomes, society desensitizes Black Women to the scale of the adversities they face and ignores the magnitude of psychological stress they have had to endure as a means of survival. The praise and reinforcement associated with…

Women make up the majority of students enrolled in colleges and universities and positively contribute to higher education in various areas. However, despite their academic contributions, women remain underrepresented as critical decision-makers within higher education leadership. Fewer than half of the senior-level leaders in higher education are…

This dissertation explores the internal cultures of (14) United States higher education boards from the perspectives of (18) Women of Color trustees. Guided by Critical Race Feminism, Intersectionality, and Organizational Culture Theory, the author develops a framework to study the impact of race "and" gender on historically…

This study uses narrative inquiry to explore the stories of Black women who have successfully navigated the professional career ladder in early childhood education. The study examines four narratives, written by Black women in early childhood education through the lens of Critical Race Theory as well as Feminist Theory to understand what role race…

Using the chokehold as a theoretical framework to analyze the gendered and sexualized vulnerabilities of Black males, I place historical records in conversation with the temporal moment, particularly the allegations of sexual violence committed against Black males at the University of Michigan. In doing so, I conducted a critical discourse…

This study was designed to examine the problem of microaggressions that Black women face within their roles in educational leadership across the following educational settings: (a) school and district administration in K-12, (b) higher education leadership, and (c) non-profit leadership roles. Data was collected from 33 participants across each…

Black women who serve in administrative leadership roles in higher education do so amidst conflicting experiences wherein they are positioned to exercise authority while being subjugated to conditions, socially and institutionally, that uphold racism and sexism. The manifestations and effects of gender and race-based oppression on Black women…

Black women have engaged through social media platforms, as a mechanism to uplift their embodiment, despite being relegated to the margins. The hashtag #BlackGirlMagic (BGM) is linked to narratives of Black women in higher education that are empowering and problematic. The development of the popular social media movement during a time when Black…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and understand the lived experiences of Black queer women who hold leadership positions within higher education and how those experiences impact their professional success. The significance of this study was to fill the significant void in research, highlight the complexities of the…

This article explores the lived experience of two Black women within the enclave of their educational environments and childhood upbringing. The authors examine their lived experiences through the lens of Black Feminist Thought (BFT) and Transnational feminism. Using a duoethnographic approach, these women unpacked and re-wrote their stories…

What does it mean to expand the epistemological terrain in education research to improve educational equity? This feature article attends to this question by opening a national conversation with education researchers who take up intersectionality in their study of Black women in higher education, specifically, the application of Kimberlé…

The research is limited or nonexistent regarding; (1) Black Women student affairs mid- level administrators at predominantly white institutions, (2) the impact of both racism and sexism in student affairs supervision, (3) ways Black Women student affairs mid-level administrators challenge and resist racism and sexism in supervision, and (4) ways…