on "love as a practice of freedom": how womanist leadership can transform workplaces

Written by Dr. LeAnna Majors

won't you celebrate with me

what i have shaped into

a kind of life? i had no model.

born in babylon

both nonwhite and woman

what did i see to be except myself?

i made it up

here on this bridge between

starshine and clay,

my one hand holding tight

my other hand; come celebrate

with me that everyday

something has tried to kill me

and has failed.

-Won't You Celebrate With Me by Lucille Clifton

I love myself and I love you Black woman. I love as a practice of my freedom.

I have always known that I love to learn. I grew up in a home where my curiosity was encouraged and every opportunity available to remind me of my greatness was taken.  Even with the many protective factors I had in my life, I did not truly access my power until I finished my doctoral studies. Up until then, over time, I felt more and more invisible.  It was during this time when I first read the words, "...womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender." (A. Walker, 1983). I was deeply immersed in the writings of Alice Walker and bell hooks. You could always find me with my nose buried into the words of Patricia Hill Collins or the Combahee River Collective. 

In the thoughts of these women, I saw myself. I found the texts that brought to life the self that I have eventually come to own. I am a Black woman. I am an expert. I am rooted by the desire to enact collective care. I am a part of a beloved community of leaders deserving of awe, care, and respect. That experience changed the trajectory of my life. 

In her book, The Womanist Idea, Layli Maparyan states, "Womanism is the deliberate, strategic engagement in social change that is focused on bringing justice, healing, and reconciliation to the world." As we tap into our liberatory power, we show up as Womanist leaders that work to see our values in living in action.  We also tend to the healing of both ourselves and others. We leverage key skills and mindsets to foster beloved communities. To achieve the systemic change needed in many organizations today and the social change Maparyan describes, this power that Black women hold must be acknowledged and valued. 

*NOTE: At key points in this essay I will offer what I am calling ‘Beloved Practice’’.  The intention behind this is to give an offering of small actions that each of us can take to bring us closer to cultivating communities where we all can access our liberatory power.  If you attempt any of these practices, I would love to hear about it. I invite you to share your experiences on any of our community social-media platforms.  

Faith Ringgold. Woman Free Yourself, 1971 https://www.faithringgold.com/ 

embodying Womanist leadership

Alice Walker introduced the term "Womanist" in her book, “In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens” (1983), offering a framework that deeply informs my understanding of leadership. Womanist leadership encourages Black women to love ourselves, tapping into our unique ways of knowing, and capacity for joy. It involves fostering a beloved community through expressing genuine care. Importantly, leadership informed by this standpoint lens challenges the status quo. As Walker shared, it’s about moving from "lavender" (status quo) to "purple" (reimagined possibilities).

I started my vocation as an educator when I was in middle school.  At the time, my love for being a part of the summer program I participated in led to me leading a small class of 3rd grade students.  As an 8th grader, I led these students in literature circles and I organized rehearsals of dance routines that I enjoyed co-creating with them.  From that summer and for the decades since, I have been on a journey to realize a world where all children, particularly those who are the furthest away from justice, can receive the educational experience they deserve and all people can live free.  Long before I ever had the language to describe it as such, I was living as a womanist leader.  

Here I would like to offer up the opportunity for you to consider your own leadership journey.  Black woman, how have you, perhaps unknowingly, been embodying the values of care, self-determination, and liberation in your work? I see you. Thank you. Whenever I get down, feel doubt, or am unclear, it always helps me to remind myself of who I am. 

Beloved Practice: Think about the values that matter most to you as a leader. Jot down those moments when you feel truly in sync with your purpose, and notice how they connect to Womanist principles. This reflection can help you see how you're already leading with love as a practice of freedom.

leading from a place of healing, not burnout or sacrifice

The title of this essay calls on a line from the writings of bell hooks where she writes how love is an important part of any liberation movement and that an ethic of love can help people move away from systems of domination.  When I think of how I have attempted to live my leadership, love is a concept that always comes to the forefront. However, this deep commitment to love as a way to freedom, has at times come at the cost of caring for myself or realizing ways of being that enable community healing.

This inspires me to share one particularly challenging moment I experienced as an elementary school principal.  I woke up that morning and followed my normal routine. Drank a cup of coffee, drove to work, led our morning community meeting, and welcomed the children and staff into their classrooms.  As I walked back to my office to sit down and run through my agenda for the day, I just started to cry.  I did my best to hold in my emotion, I told myself that I needed to appear like I had it all together so that I could lead.  I made it to my office, closed the door and the tears began to flow.  

Fortunately, I was scheduled for a coaching call at that moment.  I got myself together enough to greet my coach and as soon as she asked me how I was, I continued to cry.  She tried to get me to share what was causing my breakdown, and honestly, I don’t even remember if there was anything in particular I could name. All I knew was that I was exhausted, I could not stop crying, and I felt extremely guilty because I knew I wasn’t in any shape to lead.  My coach offered a leadership lesson that was helpful to me at that moment, “go home and rest.”   

I share this story as an example of how someone in my life modeled Womanist leadership when I needed it the most.  My coach could have prompted me to take a deep breath, calm down, and compartmentalize what I was going through in order to finish the day at work.  Instead, she listened and noticed, then she offered a suggestion that centered my wholeness and aligned an actionable next step to my values.  Her leadership was the catalyst to me living so much healthier and clearer in my purpose. 

Now, when I think back to my years as a school-based leader, I can remember the ways that I supported others in taking care of themselves and leading authentically from a place of love.  This is important because in my hardest moments, like the one I describe above, that aspect of my leadership wasn’t so clear to me.  I am committed to prioritizing my well-being as a hallmark of my leadership without guilt or hesitation.  I want this for you too.  

Beloved Practice: Start bringing healing into your daily routine—set aside 5 minutes each morning for quiet and stillness, journal at the end of the week to check in with yourself, or create a weekly team space where folks can share their emotions openly. Notice how you feel about taking these actions. Make sure you’re making time for both your well-being and the well-being of your community.

taking action to challenge the status quo and build a beloved community.

In addition to healing-centered approaches, there are additional key skills and mindsets that Womanist leaders practice in service of cultivating beloved communities.  In her book, The Power Manual, Cyndi Suarez writes, “Liberatory power is the ability to create what we want. It is real power, related to abundance consciousness, the creative force of life. Liberatory power is about expanding our set of choices and fine-tuning our consciousness so that we can recognize decision points and choose intentionally…Liberatory power invites one to construct a story of oneself as powerful.”  Womanist leadership requires us to go beyond simply talking about liberatory power by taking action to build upon our own beliefs and ways of being.  It calls upon us to put into practice specific skills and mindsets, so that we can lead identity-affirming and culturally sustaining workplace communities. 

While not an exhaustive list, I do have ideas on where to prioritize the action you are taking.  The following skills also include accompanying mindsets in order to encourage transformational change for individuals.  In reviewing this list, I challenge you to reflect on how focusing your own development in any of these skills might be of service to your vision for your work.  

A short list of skills and mindsets that foster a beloved community:

• Practice deep listening without judgment. Approach conversations with an open heart and curiosity.

• Facilitate team efforts where all voices are actively invited to contribute, allowing equal participation in decision-making. Believe in the collective power of the group.

• Address conflicts related to identity or inclusion in a way that promotes understanding and accountability. See conflict as a chance for deeper dialogue.

• Skillfully facilitate difficult discussions about race, gender, or other sensitive topics; Believe that open dialogue about equity is necessary.

• Establish clear policies and practices. Recognize that fostering an identity-affirming and culturally sustaining organizational culture requires consistent alignment between stated shared agreements and our daily practice of them. 

I hope you feel encouraged to use your skills and mindsets to challenge inequity within your organization. If you are not yet at that place, my hope is that you find the community that guides you towards accessing your liberatory power. Black woman, you are powerful. The answers you seek are within yourself.  

Beloved Practice: This month, take one clear action to push for systemic change in your organization. Maybe that means speaking up about unfair policies,  launching an initiative that centers justice, or seeking out personal development in key skills and mindsets that foster a beloved community. Whatever it is, commit to making liberation part of your leadership every day.

gathering in service of collective growth and liberation

I am grateful for the opportunity to have reflected on the power of love as a practice of freedom as I engaged in writing this essay.  It has reminded me that Womanist leadership has not just been about my own personal development; but truly about nurturing collective resilience. This is something I value and own as part of my identity.  I have shared only a few of the many examples of the community resilience and strength within our community of Black women leaders that I have witnessed over the past two decades of my career.  As we navigate the complexities of leadership, my hope is that we remember that our power lies in our ability to foster a beloved community and that also includes caring for ourselves.  Together, we can create organizations that embody the principles of healing and justice. When we embrace our power and uplift one another through Womanist leadership, we challenge and change the status quo.

Beloved Practice: This month, dedicate a moment to connect with a fellow Black woman leader. Share your experiences, celebrate each other's successes, and discuss how you can support one another in your leadership journeys. By building these connections, we not only strengthen our community but also gather to create a powerful network of support that fosters collective growth and liberation.

In solidarity,

Dr. LeAnna Majors

leanna@whenwegatherconsulting.com