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Theft, genocide, kidnapping, enslavement, and oppression, all on the basis of race, are America's original sins. This country was founded, and its wealth and global standing were built, on the slaughter and subjugation of Black and Native people. So, when looking at the concept of social justice in the modern era, I believe we must start where we began. Until America reconciles its racial past, and takes an honest look at its racial present, it is impossible to effectively, or equitably, address issues of gender, class, ability, orientation, etc.

Injustice cannot be compartmentalized. If our government was designed and operates on systems of racial oppression, then our education system cannot function or reimagine itself, independent of those oppressive systems. When looking at social justice leadership in the education system, it is impossible to simply start within that system alone; we must look at the systems that inform it. The dismantling of these structures  is essential to our ability to create a more just and equitable system.

Eliminating the construct of middle class, white, male, heterosexual, able-bodied, and educated as the normative standard of existence, is essential to beginning the process of our own truth and reconciliation. We will never successfully move forward, without facing up to how we got to this place. All of this requires radical and substantive action. Merely theorizing and staying within our comfort zones, will not get us there.

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What Does Racism Have to Do with Leadership?

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What Does Racism Have to Do with Leadership?

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"...racism is ordinary instead of aberrational deeply ingrained in U.S. society."
"Moreover, the subtle characteristic of being ordinary makes White racism harder to detect and therefore more difficult to address in society. Thus, concepts of colorblindness or formal definitions of equality, which insist on treating all people equal, take precedence over interrogations of White privilege or conversations about equalizing outcomes." (Gooden, 2012, p. 69)

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Jay-Z launches prison-reform alliance.

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The best criminal justice reporting tagged with "Jay Z," curated by The Marshall Project.

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"Anti-racist pedagogy is the teaching and practice of anti-racism."
"while ultimately anti-racism targets societal and institutional racism, anti-racist education must be focused on the individual, for it is the individual who ultimately complies with or challenges the existing system of racism." (Young & Laible, 2000, p. 25 from Welton, Owens & Zamani-Gallaher, 2018, p. 4

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Dantley, M. E. & Tillman, L. C. (2010). Social Justice and Moral Transformative Leadership. In C. Marshall & M. Oliva (Eds), Leadership for Social Justice: Making Revolution in Education (2nd Ed.) (p. 19-34). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Welton, Anjalé D., Owens, Devean R., & Zamani-Gallaher, Eboni M. (2018). Anti-Racist Change: A Conceptual Framework for Educational Institutions to Take Systemic Action. In Teachers College Record, (Volume 120, p. 4). Columbia University.

Gooden, Mark A. (2012). What Does Racism Have to Do with Leadership? Countering the Idea of Color-Blind Leadership: A Reflection on Race and the Growing Pressures of the Urban Principalship. In Educational Foundations (Winter-Spring 2012, p. 69).

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A system of equitable access, treatment, and inclusion, rooted in the humanity, freedom, and right to self-determination, of all people.

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There is No Social Justice Without Self-Determination 

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There is No Social Justice Without Self-Determination 

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Social justice is typically discussed as being rooted in an ask of the dominant group, to somehow give or allow marginalized people to be and exist in equitable harmony with them. This basis is flawed, in that, such an ask assumes the dominant group is, and should be, the keeper and giver of humanity, dignity, and identity.

True social justice begins with self-determination. All people possess the ability to define themselves, for themselves. This ability is evident in the ask itself. The ask comes from a conscious awareness that one's humanity is not negotiable.

Social justice leadership, both moral and transformative, will come when marginalized people stop asking, waiting for permission, or believing that their rights can be attained by seeking it within the prescribed rules, laws, boundaries, and comfort levels of the people and systems that oppress them.

Since the race-based violence of the genocide of Native Americans and the kidnapping and (chattel) enslavement of African people, are America's original sins, racial equity must be at the

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In education and educational leadership, social justice centers around many constructs, identities, and societal issues; the most commonly referenced are race, diversity, marginalization, gender, religion/spirituality, age, ability, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. Tillman and Dantley assert three essential components, "Leadership for social justice, moral transformative leadership, and social praxis," that must connect baseline principles of equity and democracy, in an agenda that seeks to proactively make social justice a "vibrant" component of teachers' and school leaders' daily work.

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Beyonce Sings Lift Every Voice and Sing at Coachella

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Beyonce Sings Lift Every Voice and Sing at Coachella

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Beyoncé Knowles Carter uses her platform for social justice activism in a variety of ways. She and her husband donate to organizations that support social justice work, and have been known to provide food to activists during marches and events, and have even bailed activists out and provided for their legal representation. With all of that, still one of her most prolific forms of leadership come in the form of the very imagery she provides. In 2018, she headlined one of the music industry's largest events, Coachella. She chose to use that stage to perform an ode to the culture of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). She opened the event by performing the Lift Every Voice and Sing, also known as the Black/Negro National Anthem.

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Even in 2019, there are not as many positive and accurate images of Black people on television and movies, as there could or should be. These images were even more scarce in the 1980s and 90s. However, one of the most powerful and impactful images we had, came by way of A Different World; a sitcom set at the fictitious historically Black, Hilman College. This show helped a generation of Black children see college, not only as a viable and achievable goal, but also as a place they could see themselves living and being their most authentic selves. ADW didn't shy away from the tough issues either. This episode is still painfully relevant more than 25 years later.

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A Different World: The Racism Episode (part 5/6)

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Social Leadership Through Imagery and Entertainment

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Social Leadership Through Imagery and Entertainment

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Colin Kaepernick Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Acceptance Speec

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Colin Kaepernick Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Acceptance Speec

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Colin eloquently addresses the motivation behind his protest and gives voice to the very real social justice issues faced by Black and Brown people in America. He focuses on truth, justice, and the love that is at the root of our resistance.

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Colin Kaepernick, Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience (full speech)

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Social Justice Leadership Through Activism

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Social Justice Leadership Through Activism

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Martin Luther King, Jr addresses hope and false or superficial optimism, as it relates to social justice, civil rights, and the condition of Black people in America.

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Jesse captures the essence of the demand for social justice for Black people in America

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Jesse Williams' Speech (BET Awards 2016)

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I believe that every young BLACK man should listen to this speech. I loved the performances, but this was the highlight for me. Copyright ©BET CONNECT WITH ME AFTER THE BLOGS http://Facebook.com/BrothaDoug http://Twitter.com/BrothaDoug