Resiliency While Breaking Barriers: A Phenomenological Exploration into the Lived Experiences of African American Women Leaders in Higher Education

The lack of diversity among higher education leaders in the United States is perceived by many as an issue that needs further investigation to drive change in the field of higher education. African Americans, specifically African American women hold few leadership positions in higher education institutions. Studies exploring the experiences of African American women in higher education found that they experienced barriers to their advancement, such as incivility, racial microaggressions, systemic racism, and workplace bullying. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of African American women higher education leaders. The specific interests in this study were how they prepared for their leadership roles; how African American women higher education leaders perceived the intersection of race and gender had affected their experience in the workplace and their career progression, and what recommendations they had for higher education institutions to support their career advancement. Black feminist thought provided a framework to explore and analyze the lived experiences and perceptions of African American women leaders, e.g., Department Chair, Director, Dean, Vice President, and Vice Chancellor, employed at higher education institutions in the United States. Due to their intersecting social identities, African American women may experience barriers that impede their advancement into leadership positions at higher education institutions. This study explored how the intersection of social identities and the phenomena, e.g., incivility, racial microaggressions, systemic racism, and workplace bullying, experienced by 12 African American women higher education leaders affect: the informal and formal mentorship they received throughout their educational and professional careers, their advancement into senior leadership positions at higher education institutions, and their career progression in higher education. During the study, the data collected and analyzed included semi-structured interviews, documents, field notes, memoing, and reflexive journal entries. Data was analyzed using Black feminist thought as a theoretical framework for understanding the experiences and perceptions of participants. During the analysis process, codes and themes were identified and informed by Black feminist thought. Trustworthiness strategies were used to ensure the study’s credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Study findings revealed the lived experiences and barriers experienced by African American women leaders who have attained advanced education, training, and skills in preparation to lead at higher education institutions. Based on the findings of this study, implications and recommendations were presented for higher education practice. In conclusion, future research opportunities to further explore the lived experiences and perceptions of African American and/or Black women leaders in higher education are provided for the field of higher education research.