Cross-Racial Solidarity as Anti-Racist, Activist Leadership

As alt-right politics and education privatization dismantle equity gains globally, cross-racial solidarity is an urgent imperative for educational justice. Using a critical, co-constructed autoethnography, three South Asian educational leaders (a racial justice scholar, a school administrator, and a senior district leader) examine the challenges and possibilities of cross-racial solidarity (CRS) within urban schooling contexts in Ontario, Canada. Positioning CRS as an integral competency of anti-racist, activist leadership that moves beyond performative representation, we analyze the complexities of navigating power across political, pedagogical, and personal/relational realms. Our findings extend anti-racist, activist leadership frameworks by highlighting horizontal readings of power, rhizomatic mappings of intersecting oppressions, embodied spiritual practices, and the necessity of movement-building.