ABSTRACT
Finding community is the strategic response to the challenges, opportunities, and intersecting dynamics at predominantly White institutions. This radical practice is inherent in the Black community, time-honored, powerful, and is the legacy handed down by our ancestors who endured oppression and exclusion in the academy. Black women community building strategies include mentorship, sponsorship, role play, and prayer among others. The Black women scholars highlighted in this chapter are gifted, authentic, bold, intentional, focused, caring, confidence boosters, and community builders. They created a safe space where requisite knowledge, skills, and agency bloomed. With a focus on identifying her “why,” the author communicates how Black women scholars and PhD students helped her find rhythm and reasons to keep her feet in step on her scholarly journey.
