ABSTRACT
FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN, THERE IS MUCH OF OUR STORY THAT has been left untold; yet, we have played a tremendous role in the building and strengthening of the fabric of American culture in many different ways. A short biographical representation of the women in this study will illuminate their lives, uncovering the silences of who they are and opening up a window of their lives to let their light shine through. These women’s lives connect very much to my own experience in how I have and continue to encounter the world on a day-to-day basis, which includes the way I have chosen to negotiate spaces within the dominant culture. My spiritually guided walk through the Ivory Tower has allowed me to embrace those around me regardless of race, class, gender, ethnicity or any other type of difference and valuing the human spirit of individuals and hopefully finding a way to allow our spirits to connect. Yet, this has not always been a place of comfort because of various intrusions that have attempted to disrupt my way of knowing and being. While at the same time, it has been comforting to encounter individuals regardless of race, class, or gender who have connected with me as a genuine spirit and have maintained openness so that our spirits could grow together.
