The problem addressed in the study was the challenges that made it difficult for African American female administrators to move into educational leadership positions. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore how African American female school administrators described the challenges they faced in their journey to educational leadership positions. The study had a multidimensional framework - Black feminist thought and Critical race theory to provide the viewpoints of African American women in school leadership. Participants were chosen using purposeful sampling from 24 African American female principals and assistant principals in rural public K-12 schools in the United States. Data was collected through Zoom from interviews and two focus groups. Data analysis was conducted using Saldana's thematic analysis protocol for qualitative data. The InVivo coding system was utilized to code and categorically discover themes. Four themes emerged from the data analysis on the African American female leaders: (a) they were dedicated to students' success, (b) there were barriers to obtaining and maintaining leadership positions, (c) Intersectionality was a double disadvantage for the administrators, (d) there is a lack of district-mandated mentoring programs for new African American female administrators. This study may guide public school districts and superintendents in understanding African American female principals who face persistent challenges in obtaining and maintaining leadership positions and their need for support in recruitment, empowerment, and mentoring. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]