Twenty-fourth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Leaders in higher education experience high and unrealistic demands for their skills, time, and energy, causing stress, competing priorities, burnout, compromised health, and attrition. However, unlike other racial and gender groups, Black women higher education administrators experience these challenges more intensely. As a result of chronic stress associated with being undervalued and overworked, discriminatory and unwelcoming workplaces, and intersectional biases, Black women leaders are leaving higher education workplaces. Despite the link between gendered racism and unwellness, little is known about the problem from a positive leadership perspective. The problem this study addressed was the lack of knowledge of the wellness strategies Black women administrators in higher education use to persist in leadership. Guided by Black feminist thought, this study explored Black women administrators’ lived experiences with well-being associated with the intersection of race and gender and the radical self-care and resilience strategies they use to regain or maintain well-being while leading in higher education. The research questions included how do HEI Black women administrators describe their lived experience with subjective well-being and stress associated, resilience, and radical self-care in association with the intersection of race and gender. Using the interpretive phenomenology framework, this qualitative research included semi-structured interviews of 11 Black women in leadership positions at community colleges and universities while offering them the chance to create knowledge through their stories. The results provide higher education institutions knowledge and awareness to mitigate issues contributing to the attrition of Black women leaders.