Video of Competency #3
If you prefer to listen and see me click here!
Written version of Competency #3
Welcome to Leading-Within Wednesdays. Every other Wednesday, I will share a little bit about one of the 10 competencies introduced in the book, Leading Wihin Systems of Inequity in Education: A Liberation Guide for Leaders of Color.
Today….
Practice Love and Rage.
When I started my interviewing of leaders of color, the majority of them talked about leading with love. For me, I have always been conscious of being labeled the angry Black woman which lead to at times being labeled as one with no emotions to one with too many emotions. So I had to really reflect on what was being shared with me.
When I started unpacking the data and connecting it to research and the work of community organizers, I understood more about what these emotions of love and rage were all about.
We all have emotions and to leave them at the door isn’t bringing our full selves to the table. We need our emotions at the table with us to move us to action.
As Che Guavara said, “Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love.”
Some reflections questions to help you think about this competency:
What were you taught growing up about showing the emotions of rage and love?
How have you embraced or resisted leveraging your emotions in your leadership?
More explanation of this competency, how to practice it, and additional reflection questions and resources are in Chapter 4 of the book.
In closing…
If you started reading the book, here are a few ways you can spread the word:
Post about the book on social media using the hashtag #leadingwithin. Even better if it includes a picture of you WITH the book!
Host a book club with your affinity/ERG group. Two study guides are also available on the ASCD website - one for leaders of color and one for white co-conspirators that are perfect to start a group conversation. For book clubs with participants who have purchased and committed to reading the book, please reach out to me so I can support your journey!
Connect with me to speak to your organization or group about topics covered in the book, like ‘practicing love and rage’, ‘building a coalition’, and ‘taking a stand’.
Go to Amazon and rate or review the book there! Reviews are a great way for others to see that this book is worth the time to read.
Thank YOU so much for all of your support!
See you next time when I give a brief preview into Competency #4: Practice self-care.
If this is your first time reading, please go back and read my Introductions post.
Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think. If you like it, please share it with your network!