Anti-Racist Solidarity and Educational Leadership - Research Summary - 10 Point Paradigm Connection

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai

February 2025 research-to-practice brief synthesizes Genao and Mercedes (2021) on anti-racist solidarity in educational leadership. It frames collective identity as coalition building that strengthens empowering school systems while confronting intersectionality, privilege, and power. The brief defines anti-racist solidarity as humanizing practices that improve schooling for all students and reconceptualize community by interrogating racist practices, particularly anti-Blackness and CRT, with applicability to other diverse settings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Research Summary

What

Who

How

Major Findings

1. Anti-racist leadership and coalition risk

2. A humanizing vision of solidarity

3. Leader preparation and anti-racist skills

February 2025 Research to Practice Brief: Anti-Racist Solidarity and Educational Leadership This brief summarizes the following article: Genao, S., & Mercedes, Y. (2021) . All we need is one mic: A call for anti-racist solidarity to deconstruct anti-Black racism in educational leadership. Journal of School Leadership, 31(1-2) , 127-141. 10 Point Paradigm Connection: Collective Identity The concept of collective identity emphasizes the importance of solidarity, collective strength, and coalition building among social groups in order to establish empowering educational systems, while still critically acknowledging the role that intersectionality, privilege, and power play in society and in students’ lives. In their article, Genao et al. (2021) make the case that much of the work in the areas of community and coalition building among diverse groups tends to follow color-evasive (color blind) approaches and centers the needs and experiences of those in power ( i.e., white people) . Therefore, in order to better prepare school leaders for today’s socio-political climate, the authors call for the reconceptualization of solidarity as work that is committed to anti-racism and centers the identities of those most marginalized. Research Summary What For diverse groups to collectively work toward shared goals, acknowledging and challenging ongoing injustices in the U. S. schooling system that affects some students more than others is important. School leaders and other partners need to engage in critical self-reﬂection and work together to try to ensure that their schools are disrupting larger patterns of inequity seen in society. Anti-racist solidarity is deﬁned by Genao et al. (2021) as humanizing practices that bring people together to improve the schooling conditions of all students, while re-envisioning community as a collective that acknowledges differences across groups and interrogates racist practices. While the authors speciﬁcally draw out the importance of anti-Blackness and critical race theory (CRT) in solidarity work, they also make the case that these concepts can be applied to other multiracial and diverse contexts where people are working to create spaces of freedom and justice. This new form of solidarity pushes against divisiveness among racial and other intersectional groups that is a direct consequence of the legacy of colonialism, and argues that everyone beneﬁts from the common goal of challenging anti-Blackness and other forms of oppression. Who This article focuses on school leadership preparation programs and the need to better prepare principals and other educational leaders who are committed to solidarity work with their diverse school communities. How This theoretical piece applies the concepts of anti-racism and solidarity to effective, equity-centered school leadership practices. Although not a formal study, the authors draw from the research on identity and coalition building and several examples of initiatives doing this work in school settings. Examples include forming committees whose purpose is to implement schoolwide anti-racism initiatives and developing a collective mission committed to justice and equity to which all school community members are accountable. This work can also be supported by outside community resources, critical readings, and close alignment to strategic plans and assessments aimed at improving the schooling conditions of marginalized students. Major Findings Key ﬁndings in the article that connect to leadership practices include: 1. Anti-racist leadership requires building coalitions across multiracial communities while understanding the varying identities and stakes for those involved. The transformation of schools to become more equitable spaces that move away from racial and other forms of division depends on everyone in the school community taking active roles in the shared goal of student success and empowerment. However, the authors

FAQs

What is anti-racist solidarity in educational leadership?

It is defined as humanizing practices that bring people together to improve schooling conditions for all students, while re-envisioning community to acknowledge differences across groups and interrogate racist practices.

Why does the brief emphasize collective identity and coalition building?

Collective identity highlights solidarity, collective strength, and coalition building among social groups to establish empowering educational systems, while also critically recognizing how intersectionality, privilege, and power operate in students’ lives.

What key leadership findings does the brief connect to practice?

The brief argues that anti-racist leadership requires building coalitions across multiracial communities, developing a humanizing vision that accounts for varied knowledge and experiences, and preparing school leaders with the knowledge and skills to engage in anti-racist solidarity work.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai