LELA House
Where Black women in higher education give voice to the stories stored up in their hearts.
LELA House
LELA House is a space where Black women in higher education can rest, be safe, learn, remove our masks, drop pretenses, be soft, see ourselves in both the past and the future, connect to our history, connect to each other, and build a legacy. LELA House isn’t just a space; it’s a movement where Black women in higher education create a home for ourselves and those who come after us. LELA House is a healing place that allows Black women in higher education to be who we are outside of external gazes, pressures, hustle culture, and technologies that keep us spinning in the orbits of others instead of diving into who we really are.
About Us
At LELA House, we learn from and lean into the wisdom of the Life, Education, Literature, and Art (LELA) of our 19th Century ancestral aunties. LELA House advances the “Lineage to Legacy” framework to help Black women in higher education(from ABD to senior leaders) access ancestral mindsets and methods (from the 19th Century Black women who built the structures we stand on) to achieve modern outcomes: writing with authority, dismantling imposter syndrome, and crafting a leadership style rooted in self-care and community. LELA House’s philosophy is: We do not redesign the building; we recover the blueprint.
Pillars of the Lineage to Legacy Framework
Foundation
You’re in the thick of it — ABD, dissertation mode, survival mode. This is your pillar. Connect with sistahs who are right where you are.
Scaffolding
You’ve defended — now you’re building. Book projects, academic writing, and carving out your scholarly identity are the work of this pillar.
Edifice
You’re navigating leadership and figuring out who you are in that role. This is where you build your leadership identity — on your own terms.
Inheritance
You’ve stepped into something new — a department chair role, a directorship, an unexpected transition. This pillar is about leading what you’ve inherited. Or leading what you’re creating with inheritance in mind.
Legacy
You’ve had a full career and life — and now you’re thinking about what endures. The work of this pillar is for senior leaders, administrators, and trailblazers who are building something that outlasts them.
LELA House is where Black women in higher education who feel unseen, unsupported, and undervalued tell the stories that typically don’t get told–including their own. It’s a place to call home for the entire life cycle of your career and beyond.