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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.) (pp. 19-34). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
DiAngelo, R. J. (2018). White fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about race. Boston, MA: Beacon Press
Eddo-Lodge, R. (2017). Why I'm no longer talking to white people about race. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.
Scanlan, M. & Theoharis, G. (2015)Intersectionality in educational leadership. In G. Theoharis & M. Scanlan (Eds.), Leadership for increasingly diverse Schools (pp.1-10). New York, NY: Routledge.
Sergiovanni, T. J. (2000). Leadership as stewardship. In M. Fullan (Ed.), In The Jossey-Bass reader on educational leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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"...And I swallowed their insults along with their slurs."

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Lee Mokobe: A powerful poem about what it feels like to be transgender

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"I was the mystery of an anatomy, a question asked but not answered," says poet Lee Mokobe, a TED Fellow, in this gripping and poetic exploration of identity and transition. It's a thoughtful reflection on bodies, and the meanings poured into them.

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'White privilege is an absence of the negative consequences of racism' (Eddo-Lodge, 2017).
'The idea of white privilege forces white people who aren't actively racist to confront their own complicity in its continuing existence' (Eddo-Lodge, 2017).
'White privilege is dull, grinding complacency' (Eddo-Lodge, 2017).
'White support looks like financial or administrative assistance to the groups doing vital work. Or intervening when you are needed in bystander situations' (Eddo-Lodge, 2017).
'Support looks like white advocacy for anti-racist causes in all-white spaces' (Eddo-Lodge, 2017).
'White people, you need to talk to other white people about race' (Eddo-Lodge, 2017).
'Interrupting racism takes courage and intentionality; the interruption is by definition not passive or complacent' (DiAngelo, 2018).

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"In the good ol' days..." trailer for netflix documentary "13TH"

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I mentioned in an earlier post the importance of living social justice.  As a leader in an educational setting, this becomes equally important as I work to lead team members and community members down the path of social justice.

Even in the absence of upper-level managerial support, it is important that I do my part and encourage my team members' to seek out ways to address and take action with regards to the four key outcome areas as noted by Scanlan and Theoharis (2015). It is this engagement that will allow us to develop at the departmental level and then work within the institution, ideally, as a model for promoting socially just leadership practices.

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Finally, the connection of being a true advocate for students/staff/community members who are not traditionally represented and those who are under-served in academe is through the practice of servant leadership. Sergiovanni (2000, p. 274) noted, "The leader is often tempted by personal enthusiasm and commitment to define the needs of those to e served."  This sounds like White Savior-dom and 'white is right' ideology.
I am no one's savior.  I am wrong sometimes more than I am right.
I have spent a lot of time learning and am an expert in quite a few areas, but I am not so bold as to think that I know so much that I can save entire groups of people, nor do I think that people need saving.
What is needed is thoughtful advocacy.  What is needed is taking time to step back and listen to the needs of the community.  What is needed is respecting where my voice and actions are needed and will be best served.  What is needed is being a true servant to those who are served (Sergiovanni, 2000).

It is in this mindset of personal responsibility and advocacy that I put forth the second group of images.  It is important to be courageous and bold, standing up for what one believes to be true.  It is ethically requires of a socially just leader in education.  It is also equally important, ethical, and just to listen.  I must listen to the stories of people with stories and experiences that are differently from my own.  I must engage with histories that have been absent from my formal education.  I must acknowledge the hurt caused by people who look like me, by my ancestors, and by myself.  I must respect the needs of the community that I am serving (even and especially if those needs differ from my vision--this isn't about me.)

It is in this that I will be able to be a socially just leader in education.

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Social justice educational leadership is rooted in the idea that in order for education to be just, a systematic destruction of systemic and cultural barriers to educational access and content is necessary. Dantley and Tilman (2010, p. 24) note that the components of social justice "Link the principles of democracy and equity in proactive ways so that the social justice agenda becomes a vibrant part of the everyday work of school leaders." Efforts taken thus far, at almost every level of educational leadership, have only served to perpetuate and deepen the divide between heterosexual white male educational systems (with an emphasis on European whites) and cultures and identities who have been otherized (Dantley & Tillman, 2010).

Social Just Educational Leadership, then, is acknowledging this disparity and working to eradicate these barriers, committing to the needs of a diverse student body and confronting inaccuracies in content and racist/discriminatory attitudes within the educational system and throughout the community as a whole.

In looking at social justice, specifically with an eye on education and leadership, there is a good deal of personal responsibility that leaders must take.  They must live their passion even when it is scary and uncomfortable (Dantley & Tillman, 2010.)

The first three images seen upon opening this philosophy statement provide pictorial representations of how I envision much of this philosophy. For me, social justice requires and has required extensive exploration of my own personal belief structures--I had to commit to persistent and unflinching reflection of my own actions or lack thereof. Even when I have flinched away from things I have said and done, I have committed myself to a state of perpetual growth and evaluation with the goal of doing my part in the removal of barriers that exist only to cause disparities for people that have been otherized.