Lead Like an Othermother

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Leadership for Better Schools, Equity, and Justice (Table 10)

Abstract

This paper examines how the intersection of specific themes from the Black feminist epistemology and mainstream educational research informs leadership practices as a Black woman. Findings indicate a key leadership theory: Othermothering (Hill Collins, 1991) affirms decision making and the courage to lead on behalf of students and their ancestry. Implications suggest that prioritizing self-definitions is a key leadership component. By deeply understanding othermothering as political and educational activism, a Black woman's leadership decisions derive from her attempt to serve as a model to the Black community and to lead with honesty and integrity because all her identities are currency when bartering for the success of historically marginalized students and their families.

Author

• Kyla Mathews, Epic Academy LLC