A BlackCrit Case Study Analysis That Explores The Influence Of Societal Perceptions Of Black Men On Black Male K-12 Leaders

Black male leaders shape, constrain, or determine leadership style in education as they interact with anti-Black structures such as social perceptions. This qualitative case study investigates the relationship between the social perception of Black men in society and the professional experiences of 15 Black male leaders in K-12 spaces. This study applied BlackCrit to analyze how anti-Blackness impacts the experiences and decision-making processes that coincide with Black leaders’ performance and negative experiences. Secondly, the study continues the research of connecting society’s attitudes and beliefs of Black males and expands the BlackCrit framework by analyzing how Black suffering increases the pressure to perform, shapes identity, and makes it necessary to create spaces for Black male K-12 leaders to be their most authentic selves and live out their liberatory fantasy in academia.