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.