Race and Racism: How Does an Aspiring Social Justice Principal Support Black Student Leaders for Racial Equity Among a Resistant White Staff

Abstract

The leaders of the Black Student Union (BSU) at Liberty High School share their school climate and culture survey with Ms. Nguyen, their Asian American principal. Black youth leaders reveal a hostile and unwelcoming climate in the form of anti-blackness for Black students at a school staffed with primarily white teachers. BSU students request to share their findings with the entire school staff. The question remains how Ms. Nguyen, a principal who has the aspirations of a social justice leader and the desire to incorporate the voices of marginalized groups at her school, navigates a challenging context where white teaching staff exhibit resistance to creating social change at Liberty High.