What Does Racism Have to Do with Leadership? - Countering Color-Blind Leadership - Reflection on Race and Urban Principalship

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by moss~

The article challenges color-blind assumptions in leadership discourse by arguing that racism is inseparable from how leaders—especially African-American principals in urban schools—are portrayed and understood. It reviews the historical omission of Black perspectives in educational leadership scholarship and explains how limited, media-driven depictions can reinforce deficit narratives. Using critical race theory, it develops a counternarrative and analyzes two films about African-American principals, concluding with recommendations for practice and a call for further research.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Purpose and Analytical Framework

Critical Race Theory Epistemology

Challenges to Neutral Scholarship

Literature Gaps and Media Narratives

Pop Culture Depictions and Deficit Framing

Film Analysis

Lean on Me (1989) and Heart of Stone (2009)

Recommendations and Conclusion

What Does Racism Have to Do with Leadership? Countering the Idea of Color-Blind Leadership: A Reflection on Race and the Growing Pressures of the Urban Principalship By Mark A. Gooden Mark A. Gooden is an associate professor and director of the Principalship Program in the Department of Educational Administration of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. Much of the history and study of leadership in general has omitted “other” perspectives in the literature. The same is true in educational leadership in general, and the principalship in particular. Consider thatTillman (2004b) points out that the top four journals in educational administration did not have a special issue commemorating or even acknowledging the 50th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) decision, as did other journals like Education and Urban Society and the Journal ofNegro Education. This is emblematic of a long history of placing the study of Black1 issues and Black principals on the margins in educational administration (Tillman, 2004b) . While finishing this article, I had two separate discussions with two African-American scholars about how precarious it was that two recently released books in the field of educational administration were both sadly without any contributions from African-American scholars, thus continuing a trend of omitting their perspectives. Indeed much of the literature developed in educational leadership in the last century essentially came about without the voices or perspectives of African Americans (Dantley, 1990, 2002; Matthews & Crow, 2010; Tillman, 2004b) and this continues to be an issue. This absence mirrored the deprivations African Americans were experiencing in the broader society thus making accounts of African-American historians necessary. Certainly the discourse of the history of African Americans and their struggle to achieve equity in education has been enhanced by the work of noted scholars (Anderson, 1988; Gooden, 2004; Siddle-Walker, 1996) . However, this story isnot complete without a discussion of the lives of African-American leaders, especially principals (Alston, 2005; Brown, 2005; Gooden 2005; Siddle-Walker 2003; Tillman, 2004b, 2006) . It is also important that these histories are reported from perspectives of African-American scholars who do not present them from a deficit perspective. While the work described above has started to add more to the discourse on African-American school leaders, past and present, there is still a modicum of literature about these leaders and how they do their work in urban, suburban, and rural school contexts. MostAfrican-American principals work in urban settingsand while the general population is less familiar with the limited literature on these leaders, more people are familiar with how these leaders are depicted in pop culture. The fact that the broader society has drawn these inimical conclusions about AfricanAmerican principals based on limited exposure is problematic for two reasons. First, the depictions of Black principalsin pop culture are influential but not usually based on research. When there is research it tends tobe deficit-based. This is analogous to the dominant population having no or limited relationships with African-American men but feeling like they know African-American men because of how they are depicted in the media and movies. In light of this fact and the growing influence and ease of accessibility of multiple forms of media, specifically video and television, I offer this account as a need to explore the problematic construction of the role of the African-American principal. Tillman (2007) has accurately noted that when African-American leaders are presented in movies, they are often presented in un-negotiated space that defines them as ineffective or uncaring. Tillman has also found a deficit perspective and while I agree with her assessment, I am adding to this discourse by s

FAQs

Why does the article argue that racism matters to leadership?

It contends that leadership narratives and depictions of African-American principals are shaped by racial power and deficit framing, which are reinforced by omission in scholarship and by media portrayals.

What framework does the author use to analyze the issue?

The author uses critical race theory (CRT) epistemology and applies CRT themes to construct a counternarrative that challenges societal assumptions about African Americans and urban principalship.

How are films used in the article’s argument?

The article summarizes and examines two films about African-American principals—Lean on Me (1989) and Heart of Stone (2009)—to show how these portrayals can support or distort ideas of the “hero leader” and influence perceptions beyond research.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by moss~