Witherspoon, Noelle and Bruce Makoto Arnold. “Pastoral Care: Notions of Caring and the Black Female Principal.” Journal of Negro Education 79, No. 3 (Summer 2010): 220-232.
Keywords: African American History; Black Spirituality; Educational Administration
The purpose of this qualitative life narrative study was to describe the themes and patterns in which religio-spirituality influences the leadership process for four Black American principals. The study explored how these women leaders navigated intersecting oppressions as they engaged in social justice in their schools and the role of religio-spirituality in that process. One such emerging theme in their narratives was their re/conceptualization of traditional notions of care in their schools in which large numbers of African American students are served. Although care is not always theological in nature, the type of care highlighted in their life narratives was termed pastoral as it resembled the care often exhibited by theological caretakers and in Black American churches, of which each participant was a member.
Keywords: African American History; Black Spirituality; Educational Administration
The purpose of this qualitative life narrative study was to describe the themes and patterns in which religio-spirituality influences the leadership process for four Black American principals. The study explored how these women leaders navigated intersecting oppressions as they engaged in social justice in their schools and the role of religio-spirituality in that process. One such emerging theme in their narratives was their re/conceptualization of traditional notions of care in their schools in which large numbers of African American students are served. Although care is not always theological in nature, the type of care highlighted in their life narratives was termed pastoral as it resembled the care often exhibited by theological caretakers and in Black American churches, of which each participant was a member.
- Please note that there is an error in the final, printed copy. On page 228, a line attributing the functions of the pastoral caregiver should read: "The unique notion of care as pastoral highlighting in this research and closely mimicking the six pastoral functions outlined by [Arnold], opens a new door between care and justice, and removed it from one that is raced, gendered, and classed." The six pastoral functions on page 224 are original to the co-author of the paper. These ideas were expanded upon in: Shepherding a Flock of a Different Fleece: A Historical and Social Analysis of the Unique Attributes of the African American Pastoral Caregiver." At the time (2010), this reference was in unpublished manuscript form, but has since been published in 2012.
The full citation is:
Bruce Makoto Arnold. “Shepherding a Flock of a Different Fleece: A Historical and Social Analysis of the Unique Attributes of the African American Pastoral Caregiver.” The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling 66, no. 2 (June 2012).
The page number is: 2