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I do not believe in one form, style, or role when it comes to social justice leadership.

I believe in community and in people. As a result of this, I identify and value with many of the notions behind servant leadership.

As Sergiovanni (2011) introduces the concept, he states that great leaders are servant firsts and, "...let those who will be served define their own needs in their own way" (p. 274). The leader must learn to serve the values and ideas that shape a community and, in order for that community to be successful everyone must be involved.

Social justice leadership is a slow and painful process of learning, listening, growing, and adapting to your needs as well as the needs of society. It is a process that involves critical perspective and the education of others. Social justice is never complete and it is continually evolving to reflect historical context.

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Why 'This is America' is a Piece of Music We All Need to Ingrain Into Our Minds if We Are to Understand Social Justice. 

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Why 'This is America' is a Piece of Music We All Need to Ingrain Into Our Minds if We Are to Understand Social Justice. 

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“You can’t escape the violence,” Ramsey says. “But you’re being forced to separate how you feel about it in our digitized world. The virtual violence, the real violence, it’s all confused" (Gajanan, 2018).

In today's society we are easily distracted by the media, art, music, and movements that steer us away from the foundational issues that are corrupting our societies. Being a strong leaders means you are making attempts to become aware of those distractions and dismantling them.

Are you distracted? By what? What are those distractions hiding from you?

The Time article can be found here:

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An Expert's Take on the Symbolism in Childish Gambino's Viral 'This Is America' Video

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Childish Gambino's video for "This Is America" has everyone talking. Here's what a music historian says about its meaning.

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"The true focus of revolutionary change is to see the piece of the oppressor inside us" (1984).

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A book that strays away from the norm of discussing social justice from the political, economic, and legal context. Helps the reader think about the relevance of social justice from the micro to the macro level. This reading reaffirms and encourages the collective practice of social justice.

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A Definition of Social Justice I admire 

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A Definition of Social Justice I admire 

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“A long and mysterious historical process in which those who are excluded and exploited by social forces of privilege and power attempt to consociate into movements that struggle for: a more equitable distribution of social and economic goods; for greater personal and political dignity; and for a deeper moral vision of their society. . . . The degree to which social justice is achieved in a given time and place should be measured by two (seemingly contradictory) notions: 1) the greatest good for the greatest number, and 2) how the least powerful and the smallest minorities in a society are faring.“ - Ched Myers, ecumenical activist, Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries

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That's why we walk through Ferguson with our hands up
When it go down we woman and man up
They say, "Stay down", and we stand up

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Transcript of "The urgency of intersectionality"

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TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript: Now more than ever, it's important to look boldly at the reality of race and gender bias -- and understand how the two can combine to create even more harm.

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The Me Too Movement is a broader movement that stems from many other social justice movements that have shaped today's society.

It spoke to the idea of speaking up, being heard, healing, and the stories behind power. Understanding the power of power is vital in social justice leadership. Once again, we cannot understand our own leadership style, the needs of society, or our personal responsibility/role in social justice without listening to all stories.

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FLETCHER - I Believe You (Lyrics / Lyrics Video)

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The contradictions of living in the country we call home

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Childish Gambino - This Is America (Official Video)

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Solange & Her Reminder to the Social Justice Warriors 

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Solange & Her Reminder to the Social Justice Warriors 

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I ran into this girl, she said, "Why you always blaming?"

"Why you can't just face it?" (Be mad, be mad, be mad)

"Why you always gotta be so mad?" (Be mad, be mad, be mad)

"Why you always talking shit, always be complaining?"

"Why you always gotta be, why you always gotta be so..." (Be mad, be mad, be mad)

I got a lot to be mad about (Be mad, be mad, be mad)

Solange reminds the listener that it is okay to be frustrated and angry. Anger and frustration are essential emotions that derive from passion. In order to be a social justice leader, you must have passion.

What ignites the flame of passion within you?

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Solange - Mad ft. Lil Wayne [Official Audio]

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The Power of Oppression & its Role in Social Justice Leadership 

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The Power of Oppression & its Role in Social Justice Leadership 

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"One important mechanism for challenging oppression, then, is to make visible and vocal the underlying assumptions that produce and reproduce structures of domination so that we can collectively begin to imagine alternative possibilities for organizing social life" (Freire, 1970).

As a social justice leader/educator (I think you are both in the context of social justice leadership), you must enable people, "...to develop the critical analytical tools... to understand oppression and their own socialization within oppressive systems... to interrupt and change oppressive patterns and behaviors in themselves and in the institutions and communities of which they are a part of" (Bell, 2016, p.2).

The key words here: collective & community. Just as there is not one perfect definition of social justice, I believe that social justice leadership cannot depend on a single person. The most leadership and change occurs through a community and alliance that has been built and strengthened over time. As, unfortunately, observed by Camille Wilson Cooper, "A collaborative approach to engaging families that seeks to build community, bridge cultural differences between families and schools, foster dialogue, and share power is rare" (Cooper, 2011, p.173).

Leadership does not occur alone.

In fact, as stated in The Nature of Leadership, "Leaders cannot be thought of apart from the historical context in which they arise, the setting in which they function... and the system over which they preside... They are integral parts of the system, subject to the forces that affect the system" (Gardner, 2009, p. 3).

If we are to understand how we function within the system, we must understand how others are functioning within this system and how their identities intersect.

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#SayHerName... Because it has been kept quiet for far too long. 

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#SayHerName... Because it has been kept quiet for far too long. 

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There is an urgent need for discourse and debate on college campuses, in downtown offices, and in our elementary schools because the stories of black women (in the video), POC, minority populations, etc. are being excluded from the discourse surrounding social justice and change. We cannot create change or lead without including these names.

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The video highlights how we can interpret our experiences differently and use art (music, photos, words, etc.) to educate others.

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Sanford Biggers: An artist's unflinching look at racial violence

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Conceptual artist and TED Fellow Sanford Biggers uses painting, sculpture, video and performance to spark challenging conversations about the history and trauma of black America. Join him as he details two compelling works and shares the motivation behind his art. "Only through more thoughtful dialogue about history and race can we evolve as individuals and society," Biggers says.

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(Raw footage- May be triggering)

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#SayHerName--The African American Policy Forum

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Gender is not as seamless as it appears. There exists a possibility to construct a different gender by any other act. We are discouraged from playing in this space by the social expectations and taboos that delimit our assigned gendered space. Any act which deviates from its socially intended gender is subject to punishment. As Butler said, the possibilities of gender are “necessarily constrained by available historical conventions” (Butler, 1988). We are always under duress to give the gendered performance expected from us. Performative acts which construct gender may appear ostensibly as a personal choice, but always work within the existing framework of cultural sanctions and proscriptions, of a “shared social structure”.

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Adams, M., & Bell, L. A. (Eds.). (2016). Teaching for diversity and social justice. Routledge.

Butler, J. (1988). Performative acts and gender constitution: An essay in phenomenology and feminist theory. Theatre journal, 40(4), 519-531.

Cooper, C. W. (2009). Performing cultural work in demographically changing schools: Implications for expanding transformative leadership frameworks. Educational administration quarterly, 45(5), 694-724.

Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda. The leadership quarterly, 22(6), 1120-1145.

Sergiovanni, T. J. (2000). Leadership as stewardship. The Jossey-Bass reader on educational leadership, 269-286.