Space for liberation, boundless joy, and to just BE.
Empower Your Leadership In Beloved Community
The HeArt of Black Leadership is an offering designed to affirm the power, possibility, and ancestral wisdom of Black leadership. Join us for a Rockwood experience that invites you to center your Blackness as we work towards transformational leadership and collective liberation.
This training is a place to heal, think, and play in beloved and courageous Black community all while re-centering yourself and the legacies & lineages you lead. You will be invited to honor the spirit of Black diasporic expression, and challenge the manifestation of internalized anti-blackness in a space of intimacy, personal vulnerability, and authenticity.
Over the course of 5 days, we will learn how to:
Shift from the Individual to the Collective
Anchor in lineages and legacies as the foundation of resilience
Name & wield power for Black Freedom
Maintain community & sustain our collective movement for Black Liberation beyond our lifetimes
Deepen in capacity to see ourselves & our leadership more fully as individuals and community
Build, play, & practice the rhythm of rest
Training Details
Rockwood’s curriculum is built around six core practices—purpose, vision, partnership, resilience, performance, and personal ecology. The HeArt of Black Leadership expands upon those practices, offering space for Black leaders to be, and feel, liberated while affirming the possibility of Black leadership in their respective organizations. Every process is rooted in the expansiveness of Black identities and leadership, the way(s) in which internalized anti-blackness manifests in the work and in our own leadership, and the ability to heal/think/play in a restorative community.
Join us for a week anchored in restoration practices, community, and a collective commitment towards liberation and gain:
Learning From Expansive Black Identities
Connect deeply with people across the African Diaspora, share your learning, and hear from others to better understand the breadth and depth of experiences across the Black experience.
Time To Reflect
Explore the legacy, lineage, and ancestral knowledge that makes your leadership unique, and what you would like to leave for those following you.
Tools For Resistance, Care, & Building Power
Learn and practice tools to resist anti-blackness and key skills like difficult conversations, dealing with stress, and partnering with others.
More About This Training
The HeArt of Black Leadership is a 5-Day virtual retreat. It is free to applicants who are accepted into a cohort.
This training is currently only offered online training with a standing agenda. Though the agenda may not change, and while sessions will be offered on different time zones throughout the year, Rockwood aims to make every training experience unique while holding the following will be true for all:
Practice – With an ongoing commitment to learning, Rockwood focuses on practice as a way to develop the essential qualities of leadership. Group discussion, small group exercises, individual journaling, guided meditation, and deep reflection create space for you to try on, strengthen and adapt effective leadership practices.
Emergence – We’ve learned that what emerges in training is highly dependent on who is in the room. Skilled facilitators and a diverse cohort of leaders bring their experiences to explore the how of transformative leadership.
Transformation – Our curriculum helps leaders examine and overcome their own obstacles to leadership. Rockwood’s methodology is intensively personal. It prompts depth of self-reflection, willingness to be vulnerable in a group, and openness to exchange honest feedback.
Since you will be in a group of leaders from the expansive diaspora of Black identity and at different levels of racial equity learning, you can expect others to explore how they show up in conversations in a variety of ways. The cohort will be an important source of support and will benefit from a range of experiences, expertise, and perspectives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can attend HeART of Black Leadership?
The HeART of Black Leadership is open to Black-Identifying leaders interested in personal transformation and leadership development in restorative, inclusive, Black community.
With the belief that everyone has the ability to exercise heart-centered, authentic and effective leadership, HeART of Black Leadership invites people from all sectors, roles and stages of their leadership to apply!
Our only requirement is that participants come prepared to explore collective and individual liberation, deepen their understanding of anti-blackness and its role in limiting what’s possible for Black leadership, and the courage to lean into the deep work of transformation.
How long is the application process?
It will take about 10 minutes to submit your application. Please be prepared to write 3-5 sentences about your current role, training goals, and leadership.
Application review timelines vary depending on the training, but participants can expect to receive their first update from our team within 10 – 15 business days after applications close. Please note Rockwood is closed on Fridays.
I am having trouble submitting my application. What should I do?
We are sorry for the inconvenience. Please contact Rockwood’s Public Program’s team at training@rockwoodleadership.org.
Can my colleagues and I attend the same training?
We limit the number of enrolled participants from the same organization to 2 people.
Will there be any in-person sessions of the HeArt Of Black Leadership?
Due to ongoing concerns about COVID-19, we are only offering virtual sessions of this offering at this time. We continue to make programmatic decisions that meet the needs of our community and are in accordance with up-to-date safety and health guidelines so that we can offer on-site trainings as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Will live sessions be recorded?
Our hope is that all participants will attend live; however, we understand that life happens. While live sessions will not be recorded for the confidentiality of our participants, participants who are unable to attend any live portion may schedule office hours with one of our trainers to review what was missed.
What are the tech requirements to participate?
- Stable internet connection
- Computer (preferred), and/or supported tablet or mobile device
- Microphone and headset
- Webcam
I am no longer able to attend my session of HBL. What should I do?
We want to be as supportive as possible while ensuring the integrity and sustainability of the Heart of Black Leadership offering.
Your options for transferring or withdrawing will depend on the training you are enrolled in and when you are submitting your request. Please reach out to our Public Programs Team at training@rockwoodleadership.org if you are thinking of transferring or withdrawing from HeART of Black Leadership for support!
How can I learn about future training offerings?
We release our annual training calendar at the end of each year. You can return to the Training Schedule page then, or sign up for the Rockwood Newsletter and/or Heart of Black Leadership Mailing List to receive updates in your inbox!
Ready To Explore Your Unique Leadership?
If you need support in deciding if this is the best fit for you or have any questions, please contact us at (510) 251-2500 ext. 129, or training@rockwoodleadership.org.