Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to provide insight, encouragement, and tools to African American female leaders whose leadership experiences have been impacted by racial and discriminatory acts in the workplace. African American women, having been assigned two disadvantaged social constructs, have unique lived experiences. These lived experiences provide understanding and knowledge into the realities of life for African American women. This chapter will share the lived experiences of African American, female, senior-level administrators in higher education, and underscore the complex factors that influenced their leadership traits, development, and style. This chapter will also discuss the temporal effect of lived experiences, demonstrating the link between past, present, and future leadership experiences for African American women. The chapter will also discuss the importance of the informal leadership that African American women provide to each other through sister-circle relationships. This chapter will conclude with recommendations and suggestions for future research.
TopBackground
The support of social diversity, equity, and inclusion are characteristics which are deeply aligned with higher education institutions. As such, higher education institutes are presumed to foster diversity in their organizational structures, values, and missions (Arday, 2018; Levine, 1991; Sheppard, 2018). Despite legislative action designed to ban workplace discrimination, and a cascade of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across college campuses, the underrepresentation of African American women in senior leadership roles in higher education continues to plaque the academy (Wolfe & Freeman, 2013).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Experience: An event or occurrence that happens to someone and effects their feelings.
Formal Leadership: The leadership that is exhibited based on job title and its accompanying responsibilities, or another type of official authorization.
Informal Leadership: Leadership that is not correlated with authority, but is based on shared interests, trust, and the ability to influence.
Good Ol’ Boy Network: An informal professional network, comprised of men only, that provides mentoring and advantages and professional development opportunities.
Privilege: A benefit or advantage assigned to a particular person or group based upon a social construct.
Tone Policing: Sanctioning, controlling, or diminishing one’s voice based on perceived emotions associated with the delivery of the message.
Power: The ability to exert control and influence over others.
Sister Circle: A group of like-minded African American women who provide a safe, nurturing space in which to mentor, support, listen and guide.
African American: People of African descent who are citizens of the United States.