Leadership Hindsights: The Reflections of Black Women on Their Youth Leadership Experiences

• In Event: Connecting Identity and Confidence in Girls' Leadership

Short Description

Black women are in a variety of leadership positions in different facets of society. How did they become the leaders that they are today? The choices they make as girls, and the opportunities afforded to them can drastically influence how the lives of Black girls will grow as adults. The purpose of this study was to capture the narratives and experiences of Black women's youth leadership. This presentation will explore their responses and suggest a leadership development model for Black girls.

Detailed Abstract

Introduction
Much of the literature on Black girls centers on body image, disciplinary issues, and the school-to-prison pipeline (Brinkman, Marino, & Manning, 2018; Wun, 2018). While these issues are relevant to this population, they only address a small part of the lived experiences of some Black girls (Young, Young, & Capraro, 2017). Therefore, there is a significant need to add to the body of knowledge on this population in society. Furthermore, many of the studies about these girls are on negative topics (Nunn, 2018; Porterfield, 2017). This deficit model creates a pervasive perception that the group or population as a whole is inadequate. This negative systemic representation is also true of content related to Black girls in the mainstream media (Esposito & Edwards, 2018). Thus, more empirical research is needed to obtain data that illuminate a myriad of diverse facets of the lives of Black girls.

Alston (2012) stated that investigating the lived experiences of Black women had “distinctive theoretical and methodological application[s] to leadership” (p. 128). Furthermore, Byrd (2009) claimed exploring the leadership of Black women is vital for creating better developmental opportunities in leadership for them. It can be hypothesized that this would also benefit Black girls. While literature exists regarding girls and their leadership development, Black women have a unique perspective on this subject as they have the lived experience of being Black girls. The adults participating in this study will be professional women, in the workforce, or retired from the workplace. It is anticipated that the outcome of this study will provide data to inform the development of a leadership model for Black girls. Therefore, it is vital to the study that the sample contains women who are role models to young girls, good citizens and productive members of society. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to capture narrative data on the leadership experiences during the youth of Black women professionals.

Research Questions
The research questions are:
1. What youth leadership experiences do Black women professionals attribute to their current standing as adults?
2. What leadership experiences do Black women professionals believe Black girls should engage in to become successful adults?

Methods
This is a qualitative study that will utilize a phenomenological method as the researchers are seeking to explore lived experience. The framework used for this study is critical race theory (CRT).
Participants will be contacted via email to participate in a face-to-face interview. This study will use a convenience sample. Participants will be selected who are known community leaders in the Big South, Southern State. The snowball technique will also be used, as participants will be able to refer additional subjects to the study.

Results
It is anticipated that the outcome of this study will provide data to inform the development of leadership model for Black girls. While there is existing literature about youth and their leadership development, very little research relates to the nuances and distinctions of Black girl development.

Conclusion
Benefits to the population and society include the ability to create leadership experiences that are tailored to the unique lived experience of Black girls. So much of the current literature looks at this population from a deficit model, which creates a large gap in the knowledge base on how to best serve Black girls. The information gathered from this study could be used in the formation of leadership development programs for Black girls and girls of color. Price-Dennis, Muhammad, Womack, McArthur, and Haddix (2017) shared that “Black woman and girls have historically had to resist oppression and create spaces when one did not exist for them” (p. 5). Extracurricular leadership opportunities should be spaces where Black girls are able to “exist”.

Presenters

• Sakina Dixon, Texas A&M University

• Chanda D. Elbert, Texas A&M University