To achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals' mindsets need to be shifted to a m... more To achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals' mindsets need to be shifted to a more anti-racist ideology, but the institutions in which they work need to make profound anti-racist changes as well. Therefore, we revisit two sets of literature, research on anti-racism and organizational change, to explore what actions and leadership attributes could foster actual institutional change for racial equity. However, we do acknowledge the limitations of each body of research. Anti-racism research is more so ideological and theoretical and does not operationalize specifically how to take action against racism, and the organizational change research largely overlooks equity discussions, especially race. Yet, when combined, the two sets of research offer a more actionable framework for educational leaders. Thus, we merge key concepts from anti-racism and the organizational change literature to present a conceptual framework that leaders in both PK-12 and higher education institutions can use to be accountable for facilitating broad level systemic anti-racist change. Educational institutions are called such for a reason, because their unspoken norms and social agreements have a long history that has been "instituted" or developed over time, and thus become deeply entrenched into the fabric of how they operate . This history means that the institutional status quo is designed to long outlast those who are tasked with maintaining it. It is also instinctual for an educational institution to maintain and protect any habitualized norms that make undertaking institutional functions easier, because they free members from the "daily stress of incessant decision making" (Larson & Ovando, 2001, p. 102). This institutionalization process is why embarking on the change needed to achieve racial equity in education-or any change for that matter-is rather difficult, because it forces institutional members to call into question how the norms, practices, and routinization they have long grown comfortable with may in fact be the cause of racial inequities that are injurious to marginalized students, faculty and staff, and even the surrounding community . However, too often an educational institution's public commitment to racial justice in the end is simply rhetoric or "just talk" because any real action would cause the institution to break away from the ease of norms it has long benefited from. It is considerably documented in educational research that this "Well, we had good intentions" approach is why true institutional change for racial equity often never comes to fruition Swanson & Welton, in press). Thus, to achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals' mindsets need to be shifted to a more anti-racist ideology, but the institutions in which they work need to make profound anti-racist changes as well. It is important to clarify what it means to be anti-racist and what type of change is necessary to do so. Therefore, in this concluding chapter of the yearbook we take the time to revisit two sets of literature, research on anti-racism and organizational change, to explore what actions and leadership attributes could drive educational institutions to make action for racial equity a reality. By merging these two sets of literature we present a conceptual framework that leaders in both PK-12 and higher education institutions can use to be accountable for facilitating broad level systemic anti-racist change. It is important to begin with a working definition of anti-racism that truly sets the tone for the work needed to achieve institutional change for racial equity. Everyday anti-racism considers how individuals combat racism in their everyday lives and lived contexts Pollock, 2008). Young and Laible (2000) define anti-racism through three central characteristics: focus on white racial dominance, understanding how it works throughout our society, and taking action against white racism. Similarly, in this yearbook Gooden, Davis, Spikes, Hall, and Lee present a theory of anti-racist action in a principal preparation program that consists of four nonlinear stages: 1) gaining (and integrating) knowledge, 2) examining self, 3) (re)envisioning the world, and finally 4) taking anti-racist action.
Within independent private schools specifically, Black women and girls endure feelings of rejecti... more Within independent private schools specifically, Black women and girls endure feelings of rejection, isolation, and inadequacy all whilst trying to maintain their academic or career success and a positive self-perception. Through the lenses of Black Feminist Thought and Critical Race Theory, this dissertation presents Black women and girls’ true experiences in PWIS which defy dominant deficit beliefs. Participants detailed the racism, erasure, and trauma they endured and the detrimental effects these experiences caused in their lives. They also expressed the importance and value of their relationships with one another. These relationships provided them with the affirmation and confidence they needed to believe in and stand up for themselves. Black women and girls engage in various resistance strategies through living authentically, challenging dominant norms, and advocating for themselves and others in the school community
Many Black women doctoral students entering and persisting through graduate study lack the affirm... more Many Black women doctoral students entering and persisting through graduate study lack the affirmation, community, and resources necessary to confidently assert themselves as members of the academy. These barriers make it especially difficult for Black women to effectively navigate doctoral programs that privilege and normalize elite white male experiences. Using Black feminism as the conceptual lens, this manuscript presents a burgeoning peer mentorship framework of Black women doctoral students attending a predominantly white institution through a collective Black feminist autoethnography. This model highlights our strategy for not only surviving the academy, but also resisting manifestations of white heteropatriarchal violence within academia. In contrast to more common and formal faculty-student mentorship models, we engage an emergent, horizontal peer mentorship framework, comprised of three tenets: radical coping, communal sista scholarship, and the cultivation of an authentic...
Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 2018
To achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals’ mindsets need to be shifted to a m... more To achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals’ mindsets need to be shifted to a more anti-racist ideology, but the institutions in which they work need to make profound anti-racist changes as well. Therefore, we revisit two sets of literature, research on anti-racism and organizational change, to explore what actions and leadership attributes could foster actual institutional change for racial equity. However, we do acknowledge the limitations of each body of research. Anti-racism research is more so ideological and theoretical and does not operationalize specifically how to take action against racism, and the organizational change research largely overlooks equity discussions, especially race. Yet, when combined, the two sets of research offer a more actionable framework for educational leaders. Thus, we merge key concepts from anti-racism and the organizational change literature to present a conceptual framework that leaders in both PK–12 and higher education insti...
To achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals' mindsets need to be shifted to a m... more To achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals' mindsets need to be shifted to a more anti-racist ideology, but the institutions in which they work need to make profound anti-racist changes as well. Therefore, we revisit two sets of literature, research on anti-racism and organizational change, to explore what actions and leadership attributes could foster actual institutional change for racial equity. However, we do acknowledge the limitations of each body of research. Anti-racism research is more so ideological and theoretical and does not operationalize specifically how to take action against racism, and the organizational change research largely overlooks equity discussions, especially race. Yet, when combined, the two sets of research offer a more actionable framework for educational leaders. Thus, we merge key concepts from anti-racism and the organizational change literature to present a conceptual framework that leaders in both PK-12 and higher education institutions can use to be accountable for facilitating broad level systemic anti-racist change. Educational institutions are called such for a reason, because their unspoken norms and social agreements have a long history that has been "instituted" or developed over time, and thus become deeply entrenched into the fabric of how they operate . This history means that the institutional status quo is designed to long outlast those who are tasked with maintaining it. It is also instinctual for an educational institution to maintain and protect any habitualized norms that make undertaking institutional functions easier, because they free members from the "daily stress of incessant decision making" (Larson & Ovando, 2001, p. 102). This institutionalization process is why embarking on the change needed to achieve racial equity in education-or any change for that matter-is rather difficult, because it forces institutional members to call into question how the norms, practices, and routinization they have long grown comfortable with may in fact be the cause of racial inequities that are injurious to marginalized students, faculty and staff, and even the surrounding community . However, too often an educational institution's public commitment to racial justice in the end is simply rhetoric or "just talk" because any real action would cause the institution to break away from the ease of norms it has long benefited from. It is considerably documented in educational research that this "Well, we had good intentions" approach is why true institutional change for racial equity often never comes to fruition Swanson & Welton, in press). Thus, to achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals' mindsets need to be shifted to a more anti-racist ideology, but the institutions in which they work need to make profound anti-racist changes as well. It is important to clarify what it means to be anti-racist and what type of change is necessary to do so. Therefore, in this concluding chapter of the yearbook we take the time to revisit two sets of literature, research on anti-racism and organizational change, to explore what actions and leadership attributes could drive educational institutions to make action for racial equity a reality. By merging these two sets of literature we present a conceptual framework that leaders in both PK-12 and higher education institutions can use to be accountable for facilitating broad level systemic anti-racist change. It is important to begin with a working definition of anti-racism that truly sets the tone for the work needed to achieve institutional change for racial equity. Everyday anti-racism considers how individuals combat racism in their everyday lives and lived contexts Pollock, 2008). Young and Laible (2000) define anti-racism through three central characteristics: focus on white racial dominance, understanding how it works throughout our society, and taking action against white racism. Similarly, in this yearbook Gooden, Davis, Spikes, Hall, and Lee present a theory of anti-racist action in a principal preparation program that consists of four nonlinear stages: 1) gaining (and integrating) knowledge, 2) examining self, 3) (re)envisioning the world, and finally 4) taking anti-racist action.
Within independent private schools specifically, Black women and girls endure feelings of rejecti... more Within independent private schools specifically, Black women and girls endure feelings of rejection, isolation, and inadequacy all whilst trying to maintain their academic or career success and a positive self-perception. Through the lenses of Black Feminist Thought and Critical Race Theory, this dissertation presents Black women and girls’ true experiences in PWIS which defy dominant deficit beliefs. Participants detailed the racism, erasure, and trauma they endured and the detrimental effects these experiences caused in their lives. They also expressed the importance and value of their relationships with one another. These relationships provided them with the affirmation and confidence they needed to believe in and stand up for themselves. Black women and girls engage in various resistance strategies through living authentically, challenging dominant norms, and advocating for themselves and others in the school community
Many Black women doctoral students entering and persisting through graduate study lack the affirm... more Many Black women doctoral students entering and persisting through graduate study lack the affirmation, community, and resources necessary to confidently assert themselves as members of the academy. These barriers make it especially difficult for Black women to effectively navigate doctoral programs that privilege and normalize elite white male experiences. Using Black feminism as the conceptual lens, this manuscript presents a burgeoning peer mentorship framework of Black women doctoral students attending a predominantly white institution through a collective Black feminist autoethnography. This model highlights our strategy for not only surviving the academy, but also resisting manifestations of white heteropatriarchal violence within academia. In contrast to more common and formal faculty-student mentorship models, we engage an emergent, horizontal peer mentorship framework, comprised of three tenets: radical coping, communal sista scholarship, and the cultivation of an authentic...
Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 2018
To achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals’ mindsets need to be shifted to a m... more To achieve racial equity in education not only do individuals’ mindsets need to be shifted to a more anti-racist ideology, but the institutions in which they work need to make profound anti-racist changes as well. Therefore, we revisit two sets of literature, research on anti-racism and organizational change, to explore what actions and leadership attributes could foster actual institutional change for racial equity. However, we do acknowledge the limitations of each body of research. Anti-racism research is more so ideological and theoretical and does not operationalize specifically how to take action against racism, and the organizational change research largely overlooks equity discussions, especially race. Yet, when combined, the two sets of research offer a more actionable framework for educational leaders. Thus, we merge key concepts from anti-racism and the organizational change literature to present a conceptual framework that leaders in both PK–12 and higher education insti...
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Papers by Devean R Owens