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A version of this article, “Blacks in Research? How Shall We Be Portrayed?”, was delivered by the author as the 2013 W. E. B. Du Bois Distinguished Lecture to the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Blacks in Education Special Interest Group (Black SIG). This article examines the portrayal of Blacks in research and urges a renaissance among Black intellectuals, specifically calling for Black and progressive other scholars to lead a national movement to present rarely highlighted positive data and research findings about the Black condition—especially those which challenge persistent negative reports and racist notions about Black people.

African American male teachers are the nation’s most academically credentialed and professionally experienced teachers. Though less than 2 percent of the nation’s teachers are African American males, these teachers are more likely than their White male and female peers to hold a master’s or doctorate degree. Additionally, African American male teachers who become principals assume the position with more years of experience as a PK-12 classroom teacher than their White peers. And, those who leave the principalship to become superintendents have more years of experience as a PK-12 principal than similarly situated White peers. Why, then, are African American males underrepresented in critical school district policy and leadership posts such as the principalship and superintendency while lesser credentialed and experienced White males hold these posts in percentages that exceed their representation in the teacher workforce? This chapter reviews data about African American male teachers and the school leadership pipeline and proposes a series of policy recommendations to increase representation of African American males in the PK-12 teacher and school leadership workforces.