The Trenches and Valleys of Corporate America: A Black Male Human Resource Leader’s Autoethnographic Account

The Problem: In predominantly White organizational contexts and professions, such as human resources, that are significantly occupied by non-Blacks, Black male leaders struggle with achieving career success due to a lack of organizational support. Although existing research in human resource development (HRD) and career development provides a holistic representation of minoritized groups, there is a dearth of research that addresses the professional development of Black males. The Solution: This article is an autoethnographic exploration of my experiences as a Black male leader in a predominantly White organization and profession (human resources). This article leverages autoethnography and critical race theory (CRT) as appropriate lenses to view my experiences as a Black male leader in this organizational/professional context. I utilize a layered account approach to position and deconstruct my experiences to provide an insider perspective of power structures that impede the leadership development of Black males. The Stakeholders: HRD scholars, practitioners, organizational leaders, and Black males who are embarking upon and/or establishing their professional careers in predominantly White organizations