When Equity Leadership Keeps White Leaders in Control: A Whiteness as Property Analysis of District Equity Work

• In Event: Cases of Antiracism and Liberation in Educational Leadership

Abstract

Schools continue to espouse commitments to equity and racial justice, yet racialized opportunity gaps continue to exist. In this research, we offer an empirical explanation for this phenomenon by demonstrating how white district leaders center their interests in equity work over the interests of youth of color. Specifically, we draw on critical race theory’s tenet of whiteness as property to reveal how white leaders maintain their propertied interest in leadership and the related benefits as opposed to engaging in equity work required to shift organizational practices in ways to generate equitable learning opportunities for youth of color. Implications call for researchers and preparation programs to invest in preparing leaders who can center shifting professional practices.

Authors

• Jason Salisbury, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Lakrista Cummings, University of Illinois at Chicago