Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Black Women’s Executive Directors Program: The Weight of Leadership

Speakers in the Black Women’s Executive Directors Program describe how Black women are foundational yet underrecognized leaders in social movements and philanthropy, often carrying organizational and community burdens without adequate resources. They argue that Black women-led organizations prioritize community needs and personal sacrifice, leaving leaders depleted and unable to rest. The program highlights the concept of communal rest—mutual support that allows leaders to recharge while work continues—and invokes Ella Baker’s organizing legacy as a guiding principle. One participant emphasizes that investing in Black women leaders, especially in underfunded regions like the U.S. South, strengthens families, communities and the nation.