ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the identity is central to leadership praxis, a fundamental tenet of the emerging Applied Critical Leadership framework, is developed by analyzing the notion of 'epistemic privilege' in Standpoint Theory. Standpoint theorists contend that, since all knowledge is situated or embodied, productive social justice research begins from the material conditions of the oppressed. Emphasizing the iterative relation of cultural identity and leadership practice, the chapter builds from the voices of a Latina student leader and Latina project director as they reflect and make sense of their advocacy for students of color at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. The chapter also illustrates how the marginal identities of strategically positioned women of color in leadership positions enable them to navigate and transform institutions of higher learning. It address, albeit indirectly, the relation between the 'leadership gap' in higher education and the 'resource gap' that has negatively impacted historically dominated groups in the United States in their struggle for access to higher education.
