"I'm Not Broken, but I'm Bent": Black Women in School Leadership Coping With Gendered Racism

• In Event: 63.030 - "Not Broken, but...Bent": Agency, Adversity, and the Educational Plights of Women and Girls of Color

Abstract

Black women experience the burdens of gendered racism in their roles as school leaders (Jean-Marie, 2013; Reed, 2012), yet what has not been directly examined is how these leaders are coping with those experiences. This study examined the experiences of 10 Black female school leaders, how they coped with gendered racism and how they described the costs associated with this coping. Findings revealed that coping occurred through advocacy that was student or education policy focused, support from a ‘collective’ (family, friends and community), spirituality, and for some, avoidance. The costs or tolls borne from coping with gendered racism included internalized self-doubt, anger, and also resignation.

Authors

• Laura Burton, University of Connecticut - Storrs

• Jennie Weiner, University of Connecticut

• Daron E Cyr, University of Connecticut - Storrs