Black women have participated robustly in higher education since the first Black women were admitted to American colleges and universities in the mid-1800s. Yet, their presence in administrative roles beyond the mid-level in higher education administration is low. Most scholarship on this topic addresses barriers that have kept Black women out of executive leadership in higher education and provides cursory solutions that institutions can put in place to help retain Black woman administrators. Other scholarship addresses the notion of #BlackGirlMagic--the resiliency of Black women--but does not examine the specific experiences of those who stay in this field and are able to ascend to the highest level of leadership. This narrative study was grounded in Black feminist thought to allow participants to speak about their experiences in a way that is authentic to them. It examined how Black women have risen above the barriers they face beyond other minoritized groups in higher education administration. These barriers have kept them at the fringes of the diversifying higher education leadership landscape. This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, recruited through purposive sampling. It nuanced the #BlackGirlMagic narrative by hearing from Black women, in their own voices, why they stayed in higher education administration and broke the glass ceiling, the persistence skills they believe young professionals need to be develop, and how they navigate and persist through barriers that might have limited their professional progress. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]