ABSTRACT
Community for many individuals is more than a social construct. It is a deeply embedded life-giving existence that serves to shape and define many facets of an individual's life. The accompanying kinship can serve as a physical, emotional, and even spiritual haven of rest that brings life-sustaining meaning. This chapter profiles the journey of an African American woman in her quest to find a community of other African American women in an academic setting among very few who look like or culturally relate to her. The author candidly shares her pursuit of a seemingly elusive Sisterhood of African American academics at the Doctoral level and her dance between recurring themes of cultural divides that confronted her throughout her academic trek. While connection with her preferred demographic evade her, the author ultimately learns to redefine her desired Sisterhood by applying lessons learned from the most influential woman in her foundational community circle.
