21CSLA (21st Century California School Leadership Academy)

Despite increasingly diverse student populations, educational leadership remains predominantly White. In 2020–2021, only 23% of U.S. and 35% of California public school principals identified as people of color (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], n.d.; Taie & Lewis, 2023), revealing a significant representation gap between students and school leaders. Leaders of color often face racialized stressors (e.g., bias, exclusion, and microaggressions) that threaten their well- being and leadership sustainability (Bristol & Shirrell, 2019; McGinnis et al., 2023). Racial affinity groups have emerged as critical spaces of support, offering community, healing, and empowerment for leaders of color. Yet little is known about the facilitation practices that make these spaces effective. This project brief shares findings from a qualitative study of four facilitators leading affinity groups for educational leaders of color.