African Women LeadersAfrican Women LeadersOh, African women leaders Oh, African women leaders

of Africa and the African Diaspora you of Africa and the African Diaspora you are the mid-wife leaders, spiritualists and womanists are the mid-wife leaders, spiritualists and womanists you are the healers and community leaders you are the healers and community leaders the bearers of cultural knowledges and truths the bearers of cultural knowledges and truths as you carry knowledge from Africa and the as you carry knowledge from Africa and the Diaspora (Yearwood, 2001)Diaspora (Yearwood, 2001)

When you kill the ancestors, you kill yourself When you kill the ancestors, you kill yourself (Morrison, 1984, p. 344)(Morrison, 1984, p. 344)

The Empowerment of The Empowerment of African Canadian Women’s African Canadian Women’s Leadership (ACWL): Leadership (ACWL): Memory and Indigenous Memory and Indigenous Knowledge (IK) LiteracyKnowledge (IK) Literacy

Presented by Dr. Marilyn Patricia YearwoodPresented by Dr. Marilyn Patricia Yearwood

ObjectivesObjectives

• To investigate the empowerment To investigate the empowerment of the epistemic memory of IK of the epistemic memory of IK literacy within African Canadian literacy within African Canadian women’s leadership within the women’s leadership within the urban space of Torontourban space of Toronto

• To develop a more inclusive and To develop a more inclusive and diverse leadershipdiverse leadership

Research QuestionsResearch Questions• What is the importance of memory in What is the importance of memory in ACWL?ACWL?

• How does memory support the retention How does memory support the retention and continuity of IK empowerment and continuity of IK empowerment practices?practices?

• How are these empowerment practices of How are these empowerment practices of leadership read, and what are they?leadership read, and what are they?

Leadership Research Leadership Research ParticipantsParticipants

• Transnational African Canadian WomenTransnational African Canadian Women– Black Grassroots CommunityBlack Grassroots Community– OrganizationsOrganizations– WorkplaceWorkplace

• They are in visible and invisible They are in visible and invisible positions (Northouse, 2001)positions (Northouse, 2001)Entrepreneur, Director, Educator, President, Student, Entrepreneur, Director, Educator, President, Student, Activist, Activist, Journalist, Chair, Storyteller, Executive Journalist, Chair, Storyteller, Executive Director, Assistant Director, Assistant Director, DJ, Singer, PoetDirector, DJ, Singer, Poet

This is part of a larger research This is part of a larger research projectproject– With the understanding that indigenous people With the understanding that indigenous people carry indigenous knowledge within their bodycarry indigenous knowledge within their body

Literature ReviewLiterature Review• African IK is embodied and recalled through memory, agency African IK is embodied and recalled through memory, agency

and spirituality through resistance and empowermentand spirituality through resistance and empowerment

• Memory is important to African people – narrativesMemory is important to African people – narratives

• IK literacy – to read the signs written in the text of IK literacy – to read the signs written in the text of local, folk and traditional knowledge possible through local, folk and traditional knowledge possible through memory, agency and spiritualitymemory, agency and spirituality

• Some examples: beyond reading and writing to speaking, listening, Some examples: beyond reading and writing to speaking, listening, storytelling, art, clothing, intuition, rituals, ancestral storytelling, art, clothing, intuition, rituals, ancestral teachings, dreams, oral tradition, language, and metaphorsteachings, dreams, oral tradition, language, and metaphors

• These are sites beyond resistance and empowerment to sites of These are sites beyond resistance and empowerment to sites of reclamation, renaming and re-imaging an identityreclamation, renaming and re-imaging an identity

• Embodied memory, agency and spirituality are central to IK literacyEmbodied memory, agency and spirituality are central to IK literacy

• The Embodied Experience (Alexander, 2005; John, 2003; Hudson Weems, The Embodied Experience (Alexander, 2005; John, 2003; Hudson Weems, 2004)2004)

Theoretical FrameworkTheoretical Framework• Anticolonial (Dei & Asghrzadeh 2001)Anticolonial (Dei & Asghrzadeh 2001)

– A different way of knowing other than from the dominantA different way of knowing other than from the dominant– E.g. indigenous knowledge, anti-racismE.g. indigenous knowledge, anti-racism

• Womanist (Walker, 1983)Womanist (Walker, 1983)– The importance of memory, survival, wholeness and The importance of memory, survival, wholeness and cultureculture

– Relocation from the margins of White feminismRelocation from the margins of White feminism

• Black Feminist (Collins, 1990)Black Feminist (Collins, 1990)– Rooted within sites of resistance, empowerment and Rooted within sites of resistance, empowerment and transformationtransformation

MethodologyMethodology

• I am in conversation with 15 I am in conversation with 15 Black women in leadership Black women in leadership positionspositions

They are legitimate narrators of They are legitimate narrators of the epistemic culture of African the epistemic culture of African Canadian women’s leadershipCanadian women’s leadership

FindingsFindings• Memory used for empowerment practicesMemory used for empowerment practices

– Embodied Indigenous Knowledge LiteracyEmbodied Indigenous Knowledge Literacy

• AgencyAgency– Wearing African clothes, Rastafarian hair style, Wearing African clothes, Rastafarian hair style, storytellingstorytelling

– Teachings from their ancestors, family, teachersTeachings from their ancestors, family, teachers– Local and cultural knowledge – nation languageLocal and cultural knowledge – nation language– Sharing and collectivism from role modelsSharing and collectivism from role models– Proverbs and metaphorsProverbs and metaphors

• Spirituality Spirituality – Recalling and using ritualsRecalling and using rituals– Listening to their intuition, seeing and balanceListening to their intuition, seeing and balance

Conversations/NarrativesConversations/Narratives• Carole – Entrepreneur and Storyteller (Nation Carole – Entrepreneur and Storyteller (Nation Language)Language)– ““My grandmother fearless, all we women fearless. And My grandmother fearless, all we women fearless. And I clear about that.”I clear about that.”

– ““So I met Miss Rock who was a great entrepreneur and So I met Miss Rock who was a great entrepreneur and she owned buses. And on a particular day, I go to her she owned buses. And on a particular day, I go to her place and she got on some big boots and she under it place and she got on some big boots and she under it tinkering with a bus, eh. That woman was a mechanic. tinkering with a bus, eh. That woman was a mechanic. She could talk about nuts, pistons and bolts with the She could talk about nuts, pistons and bolts with the best of men.”best of men.”

– ““It is important that every morning when we come to It is important that every morning when we come to the store that we sweep the store. I do not want the store that we sweep the store. I do not want yesterday’s energy in the store. It is important that yesterday’s energy in the store. It is important that both doors open to let the flow of energy go by.”both doors open to let the flow of energy go by.”

Conversations/NarrativesConversations/Narratives

• Penny – Writer, Poet and DJPenny – Writer, Poet and DJ““For me being from Grenada, the big For me being from Grenada, the big

thing was old talk or storytelling thing was old talk or storytelling or whatever. And as a writer and a or whatever. And as a writer and a poet, a lot of that comes from poet, a lot of that comes from where I’m from. It is the culture where I’m from. It is the culture and how we value storytelling, and and how we value storytelling, and the fact that it’s very oral, the fact that it’s very oral, which is also why I’m into radio.”which is also why I’m into radio.”

Conversations/NarrativesConversations/Narratives• Penny – “I didn’t know how I was Penny – “I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I kept saying going to do it, but I kept saying it because I’m a strong believer it because I’m a strong believer that the universe will provide for that the universe will provide for you…….I was there for a year and I you…….I was there for a year and I really felt as if in order to move really felt as if in order to move on, I had to be there as a Black on, I had to be there as a Black woman, not just a woman. That was woman, not just a woman. That was so important for me to make that so important for me to make that connection and to be there.”connection and to be there.”

ConclusionConclusion• African Canadian women in leadership within African Canadian women in leadership within the urban space of Toronto use embodied the urban space of Toronto use embodied cultural memory of indigenous knowledge cultural memory of indigenous knowledge literacy as a form of empowerment practice literacy as a form of empowerment practice through their agency and spirituality.through their agency and spirituality.

• African Canadian women’s leadership is African Canadian women’s leadership is diverse and should be recognized in all diverse and should be recognized in all spaces, including teaching and learning spaces, including teaching and learning sites.sites.

African Canadian Women’s African Canadian Women’s Leadership: Memory and Leadership: Memory and Indigenous Knowledge Indigenous Knowledge

LiteracyLiteracy