In our political and cultural climate, where America is recovering from a pandemic, affirmative action is no longer the law of the land, DEI programs are being cut, and African American history and heritage are being denied and eradicated; how do African Americans navigate white spaces? How do African American leaders obtain a seat at the table? Are they accepted for their cultural and social capital once they get there? Can African Americans be a part of a predominately white institution (PWI) and maintain agency? What responsibility does the PWI have to the African American intellectual? And what are the strategies and tools needed to employ persistence and be successful in spaces where they are the minority? This dissertation looks at the role of "oppositional cultural theory" and "social dominance theory" at PWIs, African American's ancestry, culture, and heritage connected to African principles and traditions using African consciousness theory, Afrocentricity, and the Ma'at principles; the role "social empathetic theory" plays in the lives and persistence of African Americans; and calls for transformative service-based leadership. [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.]