Against the Current: Minoritized Leaders Resisting Pressure to Maintain Status Quo Inequity

This case study explores three vignettes of resistance faced by superintendents and school board members as they attempted to implement equity-centered policy that challenges the status quo. We recount the outcry that followed Superintendent Andrea Kane declaring “Black Lives Matter” in Queen Anne’s County, MD; Superintendent Cheryl Logan introducing a comprehensive career pathways program in Omaha, NE; and School Board Commissioners Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga voting to support marginalized communities in San Francisco, CA. The threats, smear campaigns, and recall elections these leaders of color endured underscore the lengths to which privileged constituencies will go to protect their educational advantage and resist systemic change.