ABSTRACT
This chapter opens with a counterstory of a multiracial Black and Mexican educator, surveying his family history of experiencing racism in schools, and the monoracial racism he navigates as a school leader. The chapter then presents a range of thematic quotations that demonstrate systemic intersectional barriers that exclude Black educators from transitioning to leadership roles in schools. Despite that very few participants saw themselves as school leaders early on in their careers—in part because of the toxic racism the role embodied—all felt compelled to take on additional responsibilities because of the scarcity of culturally responsive instructional leaders of color. Participants identified intersectional racism, anti-Black sexism, a systemic leadership preference for whiteness, and struggles with the internalization of that whiteness. They experienced loss at not being able to work as closely with children of color once they left their classrooms, and this was exacerbated by their isolation as the only Black educators in a sea of whiteness (that included other leaders of color who were not demonstrably anti-racist or pro-Black).
