"This is Bigger Than Me:" Why Black Women Create Inclusive Environments on Predominantly White Campuses - JCAPS Vol. 5 Issue 2

Using the Applied Critical Leadership (Santamaría & Santamaría, 2012) framework to operationalize leadership and to celebrate the ways in which Black women Vice Presidents of Student Affairs (VPSAs) acquire institutional access to create real change, this study sought to identify what motivates Black Women to engage in creating supporting environments on their predominantly White campuses. Twelve semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with six participants from varying post-secondary institutions. Through qualitative data analysis, the theme This is Bigger Than Me emerged to validate participants’ understandings of their own identities when it comes to creating welcoming environments for racially minoritized students.