Based on qualitative analysis from 22 semistructured interviews, this article explores how Black women principals and assistant principals experience educational administration, with attention to issues of race at work in suburban school settings. Findings suggest that because they may be perceived as race tokens by White educators, Black women administrators are expected to be experts on race in schools. This construction, which I refer to as playing the race specialist, highlights a tension among Black women administrators around expectations to focus on Black students rather than all students, regardless of race. The findings suggest that playing the race specialist role presents obstacles for Black women and highlights some limitations in schools’ ability to meet the needs of diverse student populations.
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