About the Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership

Focusing on gender issues that women of color are facing in the U.S. and across the world.

About Us

The Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership at Howard University is uniquely positioned to develop the next generation of Black women and Black feminist conscience leaders in the U.S. and worldwide.  
 
As the first and only interdisciplinary research center focusing on gender issues that Black women in leadership face, generating solutions and conversations for much-needed change to ensure that Black women receive equity, fairness, equality and justice in every aspect of their lives. Black women have always had the highest workforce participation among women and exceptionally high levels of civic engagement.  
 
The barriers to advancement resulting from systemic racism and sexism have led to them being overlooked in professional fields and leadership roles, causing them significant economic disadvantages. 
 
Women of color remain disproportionately impacted economically, politically and educationally. As a Center of Excellence, we aim to be part of the solution by providing Black students with mentorship, sponsorship opportunities and career pipelines grounded in excellent research and scholarship. 
 
The Women’s Center understands the vital role women play in our society. Our programming and partnerships - which champions transformative leadership, global engagement, research, service learning and building impactful partnerships - will provide robust knowledge, advocacy and positive outcomes for all.  

Our Purpose

We exist to:

  • prepare future leaders who are gender-conscious and grounded in Black feminist consciousness through collaboration with faculty on research, service learning, and global engagement
  • foster a deeper understanding of women’s diverse roles and contributions to society

  • increase awareness of obstacles created by gender, racial, and social class stratification and develop individual and collective strategies to address these obstacles

Our Values

Resilience

We seek to establish a dynamic community of confident and competent students grounded in intersecting gender consciousness, who uplift their communities by raising awareness on women and gender issues, promoting female leadership, and advocating for women's equal and equitable representation across all sectors.

Integrity

We foster transparency and accountability through innovative programming and preparing world leaders guided by ethical standards of care.

Service

We provide service to our students, faculty, and community through local and global outreach by advocating for universal issues,  particularly  those  impacting the lives of women of color in the United States and the global African Diaspora. 

Excellence

We dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, scholarship, and global advocacy.