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S
ELF
-D
EFINED
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OLITICAL
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EADERSHIP
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MONG
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LACK
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OMEN
:
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ROACTIVE
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ROUP
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ENTERED
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CTIVISM
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EYOND THE
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ONFINES OF
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IBERAL
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EFORM
Abstract
How political leadership is conceptualized is central to understanding how it manifests. Where
mainstream concepts of leadership emphasize a clear division between the leader and his
followers, Black leadership literature centers around the rise of charismatic leaders, and
mainstream feminism works toward liberal inclusion, concepts of leadership are significantly
different among Black women. Self-defined leadership among Black women is comprised of
four key elements: 1) it is proactive in nature, 2) it is group-centered, 3) it requires a linkage
between theory and practice and 4) it utilizes both traditional and non-traditional methods. This
leadership model results in the manifestation of clear and distinct leadership styles among Black
women leaders who either consciously or unconsciously draw from this tradition. This work
lays out a theoretical framework for Black women’s self-defined leadership and discusses ways
in which Black women’s concepts of leadership interact with other forms (White male-centered,
Black male-centered and White female centered). Through a case study of Community Coalition
– a Los Angeles community-based organization – this paper also demonstrates how the Black
women’s self-defined leadership model has been implemented.
Introduction
Black women have been consistent in their commitment to community work; still, under
traditional models, these efforts might be viewed as something other than political leadership.
Where traditional and Black male-centered models of political leadership draw clear distinctions
between the leader and his
1
followers, self-defined leadership among Black women encourages
movements and activities that are collectively owned, essentially erasing the line between the
leader and the led. Contrary to Robert Smith’s assertion that “we have no leaders” (Smith 1996)
this model says that “we are all leaders.” Given this perspective, manifestations of leadership
move beyond serving in elected office or even heading recognized organizations.
2
Through the
Black feminist perspective, community work also serves as a valuable form of political
1
Gendered pronoun is used intentionally to highlight the male bias of the “traditional” model.
2
Although these forms are also included in Black feminist models of leadership given that the
approach to such positions maintains the collective interest of the community and a “get the
work done” attitude as central themes.
Convention