Introduction

The authors open this introductory chapter sharing personal stories of the unique ways in which they work together, situating foundational, collaborative personal and professional approaches that decenter racist policies that shape Black educational leadership. The authors provide their reasons for delving into this work, including their ability to demonstrate partnerships across race, gender, and beliefs. The chapter details the need for Black educators to develop professional communities in affinity, share coping strategies and ways of navigating while building communities of support to challenge daily and systemic intersectional racism. After naming code-switching as required practice, the authors identify examples of the systemic isolation within which Black educational leaders operate. The chapter culminates with an overview of the rest of the text.