Grit and Grace: An Examination of the Lived Experiences of Black Women Leaders Across Generations

This chapter examines the lived experiences of Black women leaders across key social movements in modern history: the Civil Rights Movement, the women’s empowerment movement, and the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) movement. Centering intersectionality as our framework, we conducted a narrative review of 19 peer-reviewed articles to identify the common themes within the discourse on the lived experiences of Black women in leadership. The chapter explores the role of social context in producing grit and grace and the intergenerational narratives that influence the balance of collective identity and individual visibility. Findings showed that within the Civil Rights Movement Black women leaders outnumbered men, yet they were relegated to the background. Within the background, Black women leaders demonstrated leadership models informed by ancestral grit, that normalized sacrifice for the good of the whole, and were contrary to traditional hierarchical leadership patterns exhibited by their male counterparts. During the women’s empowerment movement, Black women were once again excluded from the public narrative, forcing the formation of sub-categories like womanism that highlighted themes of grace and self-love exposing the tension between seeking individuality and cultural responsibility. The DEI movement exposed a return to ancestral grit to endure othering within modern day organizational settings. The chapter provides a call to action for organizations and an intergenerational reflection for Black women leaders on their leadership journey.