Lack of Diverse Leadership in Boston’s Education Space: Reflections from a White Woman

Boston’s reputation for insularity and racism is reflected in the nonprofit sector, where few of our hundreds of local education organizations are led by people of color nor have a significant number of staff of color in key roles. As Director of Partner Engagement for Education Pioneers Greater Boston, my lived experience bears this out: I spend my days talking to local education leaders and, too often, they look like me.

To better understand where I’m coming from, it’s important for me to share that I’m in this work for equity. To me, our education nonprofit sector not reflecting the communities we serve is more than reason enough to call out the lack of diversity at the top. That said, there is also plenty of research that supports the notion that diversity in an organization, especially at the leadership level, leads to better decision-making and stronger overall organizations.

According to the “The Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap in Massachusetts: A Race to Lead Brief,” a report from the Building Movement Project, would-be and current nonprofit leaders of color in Massachusetts encounter numerous obstacles, including: few mentors and champions within their own organizations, exclusion from established networks of wealth, and inaccurate assumptions about and insufficient supports for their success. In other words—and this can’t be said enough—these disparities do not exist because of any kind of personal deficit; they are the result of ongoing, systemic bias.

In early April following the release of “Race to Lead,” The Boston Foundation convened a group of diverse leaders to discuss the lack of leadership opportunities and experiences for people of color in the Massachusetts nonprofit sector. I was able to tune in online and highly recommend you watch the event video. Panelists Michael James, Imari Paris Jeffries, Celina Miranda, Jocelyn Sargent, and Cassie Scarano provided important insights beyond the scope of this blog.

The conversation about the lack of leaders of color in education sector leadership is one I feel strongly about. It is imperative for us—and I’m referring to people within the education space here in Boston, but it’s very much important in every sector and city across the nation—to advocate for people of color to be in positions of power (i.e., people leading organizations or in key decision-making roles). For far too long, continuing through today, our societal systems and structures have actively worked to hold non-white individuals down.

Now, I am a white woman and I hold a senior-ish role at my organization, which begs the questions:

1. Should I be the one doing this work?
2. If I am in the room, how do I ensure I'm elevating, supporting, and making space for those who aren't?
3. What more can I--and can we as white leaders in education--be doing?

I believe the first two questions are intrinsically connected: they both require reflection and thoughtful action. Here are a few of the things I’m humbly doing as a white woman in this space and that I suggest others try to be more intentional about:

1. Build a bench for our current roles. Even as I do the work in my current role, I’m already thinking about and actively engaging with people inside and outside the organization who might be candidates for my role when I leave. I am very deliberately seeking out individuals whose backgrounds and experiences are different from my own. Doing this in advance means that whenever I do move on, there will be a list of experienced leaders who truly reflect the students we serve.
2. Be open to learning. Since I don’t have all the answers, I’m continually leaning into my own education. I’m reading, listening, making space, and reflecting, alone and with others. For example, last week I got together over lunch with colleagues from my office to discuss White Supremacy Culture and how it affects relationships, interactions, and outcomes in our office and our full organization. Learning and pushing to be more aware isn’t always comfortable, but it IS always important.
3. Think about how we can push boundaries in big and little ways. For example, in my role I think often about the boundaries of what we consider a “viable education organization” in the Boston education sector. If most of the large and “well-established” education organizations in Greater Boston are led by people who are white, how can we partner with more organizations that have leaders of color at the helm? And given the point made in the “Race to Lead” report, how can we individually and collectively make sure we give these oftentimes smaller organizations the same access to resources and success? One small thing I do to push boundaries in my partner engagement role at Education Pioneers is offer partial scholarships to support leaders of color who are interested in our programs.

As a final thought, I want to elevate this Desmond Tutu quote, “if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor,” to remind myself and others that accepting the status quo around what our sector looks like is a choice, and it is one we can’t afford to keep making.

Jacqueline Bennett is the Director, Partner Engagement, Boston Metro Area for Education Pioneers. In this role she oversees partnership and fellowship services for the Boston area. An EP Alumna, Jacqueline came to education and EP because she believes that all children are capable of success, and ensuring the right people and the right supports are in place will allow this success to happen.

Follow Jacqueline on Twitter @jacqbennett.

Note: This article appears in its original form here.