Negotiating Race-Related Tensions: White Educational Leaders Recognizing, Confronting, and Dialoguing About Race and Racism

• In Event: Race, Social Class, and Social Justice

Abstract

The paper highlights a qualitative study focused on how white educational leaders negotiate race-related tensions when recognizing, confronting, and dialoguing about race and racism to further contextualize conceptualizations of race, racism, and anti-racism. Findings revealed commonalties regarding the subtleness of racism, as well as how to confront racism through thoughts and actions. While participants considered dialogue beneficial in their personal awareness, lack of venues to dialogue about race and racism were emphasized. Findings suggest implications for further contextualizing negotiations of race-related tensions and framing race and racism. Additionally, findings offer implications for further conceptualizing racial identity models and anti-racism, as well as purposefully creating conversational spaces and encouraging collegial relationships to foster employment of race-related dialogue

Author

• Amy J Samuels, University of South Florida