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

Why It Matters

The discussion underscores a funding and leadership gap that limits the effectiveness of organizations serving Black communities; redirecting resources to Black women leaders could boost community resilience and broader social impact.

Summary

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.

Original Description

RWJF’s Black Women’s Executive Directors (BWED) Program centers rest, care, and sustainability for movement leaders. In this video, BWED cohort members share what rest, or lack of rest, looks like in their leadership and how they hope the program will support their healing and renewal.

These leaders are at the heart of organizations transforming communities and cultivating power in places that have long been shaped by inequitable systems. This RWJF program was co-created with Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD) and re:power. Learn more about the program: https://rwjf.ws/tbIh6A

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