School Leaders of Color Conference

For decades, leaders of color and those of native and indigenous ancestry have actively worked to balance the scale with regard to rights, access, power, and privilege that should be granted to all of humanity. In 2007, America turned their eye toward a moment in time that many thought would never exist, Barack Obama, a black man, secured the win for our nation’s 44th president. The symbolic nature of this election not only sparked national and international conversation, but for many of our most marginalized and oppressed communities, it signaled a change of the guard. Positional power was equated with the power to make substantial and long overdue change and for eight years all eyes turned to President Obama to be the one that would change the stakes and lay forth an alternate future for the silenced voices of America.

This year’s conference will focus on the unique opportunities and challenges leaders of color face when rising into positions of power and influence. So often we hear about the influential leadership and impact potential of those who obtain seats as school leaders, system leaders, and even policy leaders, and we also hear about the nuances of the experiences these leaders have as they navigate what it means to be a person of color or of native descent and face long-standing, systemic challenges of leading in their context. This conference will also lift up the power and importance of leaders of color to set bold and ambitious visions that span beyond their tenure. Carving out a path for our students to one day lead in the spaces and seats we currently occupy changes the tide for decades to come and this conference will elevate what it means to think of generational impact that starts with our network of alums but ends with the children of the students they once taught. Our vision is that we work to affirm our leaders in the conference space while also grappling with the very real tensions and dynamics that are relevant to their leadership experiences.