As a Black woman who has served on the Cambridge School Committee, I have seen patterns emerge when women of color lead with a vision not centered on traditional power structures. I watched the recent superintendent search process unfold, and it was deeply concerning — not only because of procedural disagreements, but because of the energy and intensity with which some have worked to discredit and dismantle it. I want to be clear that it is OK to have different perspectives and disagree with Black women. But what is currently playing out in the public sphere goes well beyond this. Committee Member Elizabeth Hudson’s continued efforts to question and delegitimize a process led by Black women — particularly Mayor Denise Simmons, Vice Chair Caroline Hunter, and The Equity Process — raise difficult but necessary questions about leadership and power.
Her very public attack on our former African-American female superintendent only underscores the point. It is hard to ignore an emerging pattern of behavior within one of the most liberal communities in Massachusetts. While Cambridge often prides itself on its progressive values, this moment calls for honest reflection. The city may not wish to believe it upholds systemic bias that harms Black women — but the current term on the School Committee tells a different story.
Across the current professional landscape, Black women continue to encounter barriers that diminish our credibility. We are often celebrated for our competence in times of crisis, yet our leadership is met with resistance once we begin to exercise real authority. Our expertise is too often second-guessed, and our motives questioned, even when we are working toward equity and excellence for all. These patterns do not arise solely from individual disagreements — they are symptoms of a deeper discomfort with shared power and the evolving face of leadership.
When certain voices feel the need to control every outcome, collaboration suffers. And when processes are deemed invalid simply because they are not driven by familiar power brokers, communities lose the benefit of diverse perspectives and lived experience. Cambridge — and communities like it — must take a hard look at how bias operates, even under the banner of progressivism.
True equity requires more than statements of inclusion. It demands a willingness to respect the leadership of those who have too often been excluded from shaping systems of power. Until that happens, we will continue to see the effort to drive out talented Black women from spaces that claim to champion justice and equality.
The writer is a former vice chair of the Cambridge School Committee, co-founder of HarveyReed, and a clergywoman and real estate developer who works at the intersection of equity, infrastructure, and community leadership.
