Revisioning: African-American Women and Nonprofit Leadership

Author(s):  
Donovan Branche ◽  
Karen Ford

African-American women represent an untapped resource and bring with them transformational characteristics and resilience that are vital to the increasingly complex world of nonprofit leadership. This sector will lose 75% of its leaders soon with the retirement of baby boomers. It is crucial that nonprofits consider the next chapter in leadership. This paper is based on a mixed-methods study of the leadership styles and resilience of African-American women leaders in nonprofit organizations. Including these women in the leadership pool makes sense to the future and continuing success of nonprofit organizations.

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-376
Author(s):  
Shannon Sales ◽  
Monica Galloway Burke ◽  
Colin Cannonier

Purpose This paper aims to examine women leaders from diverse career backgrounds and ethnicities to discover their perspectives of their leadership roles and empowerment to determine similarities and differences among them, focusing on the perspectives of African American women. Design/methodology/approach The review process began with a comprehensive review of African American women in history in the context of leadership and empowerment. Next, a Q-sort methodology was used as a semi-qualitative approach for women leaders to rank words of empowerment and facilitate discussions among these women. The Q methodology is known for exploring issues that are correlated with individuals who are influenced with personal feelings and opinions. Findings The paper concludes that perceptions of leadership roles differ among the African American women leaders when compared to other ethnicities. The results support the idea that women from diverse ethnic backgrounds have different experiences in the workplace, and these experiences influence how they identify factors they perceive as beneficial to them in terms of their perspectives on leadership and empowerment. Several themes emerged for African American women leaders including being overlooked, marginalized, undervalued and unappreciated in their professions as leaders due to their dual minority status. As it is now as it was in the past, such barriers can deter or stop progression for African American women leaders. Originality/value The history of African American women in leadership roles is scantily recognized or not recognized at all. This paper highlights leadership roles and barriers for African American women currently in leadership roles in contrast to other women. The issues they face are still similar to those faced by African American women in earlier decades in spite of increased career mobility. A relatively understudied topic in leadership and management history in general, this paper provides a unique lens from which to build awareness about the leadership roles and empowerment of African American women and to effect needed change.


2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. e52
Author(s):  
Morine Cebert ◽  
Eleanor Stevenson ◽  
Susan G. Silva ◽  
Rosa Gonzalez-guarda ◽  
Peggy A. Shannon-Baker ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. e245
Author(s):  
Morine Cebert ◽  
Rosa Gonzalez-guarda ◽  
Susan G. Silva ◽  
Peggy A. Shannon-Baker ◽  
Renee E. Hart ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-63
Author(s):  
Angel Love Miles

In a mixed-methods study of the barriers and facilitators to homeownership for African American women with physical disabilities, self-concept emerged among the primary themes. This article discusses how participants in the study perceived themselves and negotiated how they were perceived by others as multiply marginalized women. Using what I call a feminist intersectional disability framework, I suggest that participants’ relationships to care strongly contributed to their self-concept. The “Strong Black Woman” trope and associated expectations had cultural and material relevance for how they interpreted themselves and were interpreted by others as receivers, managers, and providers of care. The material reality of owning or not owning a home did not reveal significant differences in the self-concepts of homeowners versus nonhomeowners. Rather, it was through conversations about homeownership that this data around self-concept in relationship to care was revealed.


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