Race and gender affect the way in which African-American female principals perceive and enact their roles in predominantly African-American urban schools. Using empirical data drawn from a larger qualitative study, this article examines and challenges racial and gendered assumptions about African-American leadership, and specifically American female leadership. This article suggests that the complex intersection between race, gender, and professional socialization may shape African-American leaders' perception of and orientation toward predominantly African-American schools and communities in some unanticipated ways. (Contains 2 notes.)