In reaction to growing rejection of our inequitable and exclusionary world for one that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive, a significant societal development must be the vitality of Black women’s leadership as it expands into most sectors of Canadian life. However, little progress has been made in reforming the predominantly White, male-privileged world of coaching. While most women coaches experience inequities, as documented many times in the Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching, it is even more so for Black women who aspire to succeed in the profession.
The Black Female Coach Mentorship Program (BFCMP), described here in moving detail by Janelle Joseph, is an essential first step to reversing the exclusion all too frequently experienced by Black women for whom a coaching career is often beyond reach. As one mentee said: “I have never had any hope of being a full-time coach … It's not even, you know, reasonable to dream of that because there just are no opportunities.” Formal mentorship as reflected in the BFCMP is an essential component to reversing an intolerable situation. - Sheila Robertson, Journal Editor
The views expressed in the articles of the Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching are those of the authors and do not reflect the policies of the Coaching Association of Canada.