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Introduction
There is a lack of literature that adequately captures the leadership perspectives of African American women related to their leadership development, beliefs, and perceptions of empowerment, especially in light of the historical barriers that exist. Although African American women continue to represent a growing talent within the workforce (Bagati, 2008), the vestiges of those barriers can breed bias and discrimination which impact their ascension to leadership positions. There is also a long history of White men leading and being entrenched in the top levels of business, management, and political ranks which is indicative of a tradition that limits African American women’s rise to senior leadership and management positions and perpetuates a glass ceiling (Ryan and Haslam, 2005; Weyer, 2007). Furthermore, in such environments, African American women are less likely to obtain guidance training on advancement opportunities (Guadagno, 2010). Therefore, it is vital that they have the ability to develop personal power, influence to affect others, and work with others and the most effective way to show interpersonal power is to first understand the process of the struggles and oppressed structures that have been present among women leaders (Gutiérrez, 1990).
This paper examines the internal traits and external factors associated with African American women leaders’ perception of leadership and empowerment[1] while acknowledging they bear the duality of race and gender. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, African American women began to actively lead and empower within their communities and the nation; however, decades passed before they began to actively lead organizations in the labor force. Therefore, this paper begins with an examination of the history of women from the 1890s to the civil rights movement, followed by an investigation into their early contributions due to their efforts. The intersectionality theory and its link to why African American women experience barriers are then explained. In addition, the theory of self-authorship is also detailed to frame how African American women perceive themselves in the context of the workplace. Next, we present details related to the research study based on an empowerment perspective about women leaders who accept the problems and circumstances of having power and being powerless through different experiences. Using Q-methodology, the purpose of the study was to examine the specific traits and factors that women...