Othermothering in LeadHERship
I was raised to believe that when you find your people, you find your support system. When I began working under a new supervisor in a leadership position, I felt a deep sense of relief that I had found a support system invested in my growth and development as well as theirs. She looked like me. She understood the work, the stakes, and the weight that comes with leading while being both Black and a woman. I thought, finally, someone who would understand me without needing translation. I learned from that experience about the necessity of intentional mentorship. I also learned that support is not guaranteed by shared identity; it is practiced through care, honesty, and accountability.
This realization led me to think about how Black women have led with care and how othermothering has been key to our ability to build and protect communities. Othermothering serves as not only a social role, but a teaching, mentoring, and leadership framework. It is a way to ensure that those who come after us are better prepared to thrive as they progress forward.
The Historical Roots of Othermothering
The tradition of othermothering has deep roots in Black history. During enslavement, Black women were often forced to nurture the children of others while being separated from their own. Even while under brutal conditions, they built networks of care that extended beyond bloodlines. They taught, protected, and cared for each other’s children, creating a lineage of leadership grounded in collective responsibility.
Acts of othermothering continued to shape the Black community during the Civil Rights Movement, with women such as Ella Baker and Septima Clark who exemplified the practice of othermothering by mentoring younger activists and helping to develop their skills as leaders (Gilkes, 1980). They believed in shared power rather than positional power, where leadership was seen as a responsibility to the people around them rather than as a title. Their example redefined leadership as service rather than status.
Othermothering in Leadership Today
In leadership, othermothering can show up as a supervisor investing time in coaching her team or as a principal building a new teacher's confidence. Research supports that Black women leaders often balance professional expectations with the “emotional and communal labor of care” (Loder, 2005). Their leadership is also relational and grounded in service, described as “transformative care” (Bass, 2009). In practice, this means Black women leaders not only meet the demands of their professional role but also nurture the emotional health of their teams. This kind of leadership can be used strategically and requires the ability to see past individual success and towards collective progress. When Black women lead through othermothering, they create spaces where others feel safe to learn, lead, and be successful.
However, when that kind of intentional mentorship is absent, the opposite occurs. Without a foundation of trust and care, competition replaces opportunities for collaboration. A scarcity narrative takes root with the belief that there is only room for one of us at the top. Bell and Nkomo (2001) wrote about how “systemic inequality fosters internalized competition among Black women professionals”, resulting in isolation, distrust, and exhaustion. This lack of support not only harms individuals but also weakens communities. When we fail to guide or advocate for one another, we mirror the same systems that exclude us.
Sankofa: Returning to the Practice of Reaching Back
The Akan word Sankofa teaches us to “go back and get it.” Sankofa serves as a reminder that we must reach back to our history to guide our future. For Black women in leadership, Sankofa calls on us to look behind us to see who is watching, who is learning, and who needs guidance. Othermothering is an act of Sankofa; we lead for the ones coming up after us. In many ways, othermothering is how Black women have always practiced Sankofa, leading with a pull that lifts others up rather than apart. bell hooks (1984) described this as a “politics of love,” where nurturing becomes a form of resistance against a world that devalues care when it comes from Black women.
How We Can Get Back To Sankofa
Mentor with intention. Share what you know. Create opportunities for others to learn and lead.
Advocate for others. Speak names in rooms where they are not present. Push for equity and visibility.
Correct privately, uplift publicly. Accountability should never strip dignity.
Model balance. Show that boundaries and care can coexist. Leadership that ignores self-care will not last.
Build circles of community. Collaboration strengthens communities. We rise higher when we rise together.
References
Bass, L. (2009). Fostering an ethic of care in leadership: A qualitative study of urban female principals. Journal of School Leadership, 19(2), 212–236.
Bell, E. L. J. E., & Nkomo, S. M. (2001). Our Separate Ways: Black and White Women and the Struggle for Professional Identity. Harvard Business School Press.
Case, K. I. (1997). African American othermothering in urban elementary schools. Urban Review, 29(1), 25–39.
Gilkes, C. T. (1980). Holding back the ocean with a broom: Black women and community work. The Black Scholar, 11(2), 40–45.
hooks, b. (1984). Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center. South End Press.
Loder, T. L. (2005). African American women principals’ reflections on social change, community othermothering, and school reform. Urban Education, 40(3), 298–320.
