Lived Experiences of Black Women Academic Deans

The primary purpose of this interpretative phenomenological inquiry was to
uncover the lived experiences, both professional and personal, of Black female academic
deans across Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Black Feminist Thought (Collins,
2,000) served as a guiding theoretical framework in light of the unique experiences of
Black women as a result of their intersecting identities. Three key findings emerged from
the interviews with the study's participants. Together, these findings captured the essence
of the lived experiences of the participants in the study. The first finding reflected both
the underlining fatigue that Black female deans battled on a daily basis as they navigated
constant assaults related to their race and gender as well as their resilience that defined
their leadership in the face of such assaults. The second finding captured these deans'
commitment to channel their leadership oversight towards holding institutions
accountable for their inequitable and unjust philosophy and practices. And finally, the
third key finding reflected Black female deans' struggles to reimagine the norms and
standards of the academic deanship position to embrace historically under-represented
members such as themselves.