Belonging Among Black Women DEI Leaders Post the 2020 Social Justice Movement

This convergent mixed-methods study explores the lived experiences of Black women DEI leaders at predominantly white institutions within the context of an increasingly contentious national discourse surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education. Conducted prior to the 2024 election, a period marked by escalating resistance to DEI efforts, this research explores how America’s racial reckoning influenced institutional DEI initiatives and shaped the realities of those leading this work. Data were collected through a climate survey of 20 DEI administrators and semi-structured interviews with three senior-level Black women DEI leaders. The survey findings suggest that institutional commitments to DEI were largely reactive, emerging as crisis responses to national calls for racial justice. These efforts resulted in the short-term elevation of Black women into leadership roles, often without sustained structural support. The interview data revealed that Black women senior DEI leaders routinely encounter discrimination, marginalization, and the paradox of hypervisibility and invisibility within their roles. This study concludes with implications and suggestions for institutional policy and structural reform aimed at fostering more equitable and sustainable DEI leadership environments.