Sista Circles Creating Space and Opportunity for Mentoring Among Black Women

My Mentoring Journey

In all honesty, it was a little challenging to write this piece. I felt like a fraud trying to because I did not have a good mentoring experience throughout my higher education journey. Most of the official mentoring programs I participated in—the select few—fell flat. I also served as a mentor for the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Council for Ethnic Participation. However, in my experience as a mentor, I could have done better by my proteges. I find reflecting on mentorship difficult, but in writing this article I began to identify how mentorship and community helped me through my higher education journey.

I start this piece reflecting on my journey with mentorship from my undergraduate days to a now tenure-track faculty member. Connecting to official mentors was never something I personally felt comfortable with. I mainly relied on the support of my peers and other black women. Mentoring to me is community and peer support. At my undergraduate institution, San Diego State, we had an organization called the Student African American Sisterhood (SAAS). SAAS was a curated space for black women on campus of all class levels. The organization was an officially recognized student group that could apply for funding and had a dedicated advisor. SAAS provided space for community among black women; we shared resources, held regular meetings, study nights, participated in community service, and addressed concerns facing black women on campus or in current events. There were many opportunities to learn how to navigate the campus's different academic hurdles and social nuances from more advanced students. This was my first formal experience of seeing black women help each other navigate the difficulties of higher education.

Connecting to official mentors was never something I personally felt comfortable with. I mainly relied on the support of my peers and other black women.

Post undergrad, I went to school to receive a master's in student affairs at the University of Southern California (USC). There, I was once again in community with other black women. Despite attending a predominantly white institution, my cohort was diverse, making class discussions fun and engaging. However, even with the student representation, we did not have any black faculty in our program. My friends and I felt a need to connect with more black people on campus, especially given the minimal support graduate students received at the USC. After our first year, one of my cohort mates, Shaquita, took it upon herself to create a sistah ¹ circle to connect black women master's and doctoral students with black women faculty. We held monthly meetings covering different topics and black women faculty joined us. I loved attending the meetings and connecting with other black women.

At the start of my program, I intended to start a full-time position and then eventually enroll in an EdD program postgraduation. However, after discussing my plans with one of my faculty members, she suggested I apply for PhD programs. I never saw myself getting a PhD but once she put it in my mind, I committed to a new path. Knowing nothing about the PhD process, our sistah circle helped me tremendously. I learned how to look up programs, connect with faculty, and attended ASHE to begin networking (part of the “hidden curriculum”). The help from the black women doctoral students at the USC ensured my success in getting accepted to Indiana University’s higher education program.

The help from the black women doctoral students at the USC ensured my success in getting accepted to Indiana University’s higher education program.

While getting my doctorate, I did not have any formal mentorship. I relied on advanced students to provide insight into each significant milestone of the program. I also relied heavily on my cohort to help me through trying times, like when I failed my comprehensive exam and had to rewrite it. The entire time, I knew I had a passion for graduate student support based on my master's experience. Because of my past issues with mentorship and after reading the literature on graduate socialization, I realized that students cannot solely rely on faculty. For my dissertation, I decided to study the communal support that black women doctoral students provide to help sustain black women in the academy. One day, I decided to simply Google “sister circles” and found myself on Dr Marvette Lacy's dissertation consulting website. She discussed using sista circle methodology (SCM) in her dissertation, which led me to the University of Georgia (UGA) dissertation website, where I found Dr Latoya Johnson's dissertation and knew this was the methodology for me. I wanted first and foremost for my dissertation to help and support the women who chose to participate in my study, and to participate alongside them. Research outcomes were secondary. While conducting my research, I created a space for peer mentorship within a sista circle to learn how we as black women help each other succeed.

I focus this piece mainly on the graduate student experience because I am interested in improving the conditions of graduate education. In writing this piece, I hope to claim my story and paint a picture of the mentoring possibilities for other black women across college campuses today. I would love for other black women to feel comfortable finding a mentor and entering a reciprocal mentoring relationship. To the black women reading this, I hope you see yourself reflected and find the community and support you need to be successful in your higher education journey.

I would love for other black women to feel comfortable finding a mentor and entering a reciprocal mentoring relationship.

Mentorship is an essential aspect of the student experience, whether undergraduate or graduate. The faculty role is often understood as instrumental in mentoring students. Although I do not discredit the place of faculty in mentoring students, existing scholarship highlights how faculty do not always support and aid in the development and support of students of color, black women specifically. The literature on black women students consistently highlights a gap and a lack of mentorship. The current model for mentorship (faculty reliant and inauthentic institutionally sponsored programs), does not work for black women. During my graduate school experience, I remember constantly repeating, “I don’t know what I don’t know.” I felt annoyed at the unhelpful approach of only receiving support and resources if I knew exactly what I needed. We must approach the problem of mentoring differently for black women.

In my dissertation research, I found a need to focus on the transformative power of peer mentorship for black women graduate students. Using a sista circles methodological approach, I detailed the potential of peer mentorship in providing community and support to sustain black women in graduate programs. This article highlights the possibilities of sista circle as a methodology and practice to foster mentorship for black women students. I draw insights from the research on mentoring black women students, sista circles, and the research of black women scholars who employ SCM. I connect different epistemological and theoretical frameworks that ground sista circles. I mix my personal experience to highlight the benefits of sista circles and why we need them to benefit black women graduate students. These insights can inform how student affairs practitioners and scholars can create space to increase the impact of identity-conscious mentoring for black women students on their respective campuses.

Mentoring Black Women Graduate Students

Black women are not a monolith; like with all students, no one-size-fits-all mentoring application will suit all black women. However, learning and adapting principles shared by black women scholars is an appropriate starting place. Most of the literature on doctoral socialization centers on the aspect of mentoring. Through mentorship, doctoral students learn how to navigate faculty life. Some major areas affect graduate students of color including, but not limited to racism, discrimination, microaggressions, integration, belonging and isolation, mental health, and faculty mentoring. In their 2017 article, David Brunsma, David Embrick, and Jean Shin provided a literature review of previous work that explored mentoring for graduate students. Overall, they conclude that academia does a disservice to students of color regarding mentoring. Despite the possible negative experiences students of color face in graduate school, mentoring can offset the impacts. Doctoral students with aspirations for faculty roles express a lack of mentorship in guiding them.

I grew frustrated as a graduate student reading articles from the 1970s to 2020 expressing similar sentiments around mentoring for black women. Much of the literature on mentoring relies on the impact of faculty on students. I do not discredit the importance of faculty for socialization, yet my own experience highlights the influence of peer mentoring as an essential aspect in socialization and persistence. Black women students do not always have the luxury of access to black women faculty to provide same-gender and same-race mentorship. Furthermore, relying on faculty who can switch institutions at any point made me realize the importance of peer mentorship.

I grew frustrated as a graduate student reading articles from the 1970s to 2020 expressing similar sentiments around mentoring for black women.

Drs Sharon Fries-Britt and Bridget Turner Kelly illustrate this in their piece about their mentorship relationship, Retaining Each Other: Narratives of Two African American Women in the Academy. In a follow-up to this foundational work about black women mentorship in the academy, they edited a book in 2022 on Building Mentorship Networks to Support Black Women: A Guide to Succeeding in the Academy. Within it, they place an emphasis on mentoring as bidirectional between faculty and students. As a graduate student, you sometimes feel like you do not know anything, solely taking in new information. However, graduate students have ideas and lived experiences that faculty mentors also learn and grow from.

In my cohort, we as black women wrote together, shared notes and resources, held each other accountable, and provided emotional support. In their 2022 article, Drs Christa Porter, Tiffany Davis, and Ginny Jones Boss discuss their time attending the UGA and how their writing group was a space of support for faculty and students beyond graduate school, coining their sisterhood, a “scholarhood.” As an early-career faculty member, I feel privileged to benefit from Dr Porter's mentorship, and the impact of the scholarhood on our mentoring relationship.

The Foundation of Sista Circles

Sista circles allow black women to gather and offer support centered on their intersecting gender and racial identities. Research highlights many benefits of sista circles including empowerment through sharing stories in community; shared responsibility of space—challenging power dynamics; challenging experiences with tokenization and silencing voice; affirmation and encouragement; intergenerational generation and building of knowledge building, intellectual curiosity; mentorship among black women and guidance. The benefits of sista circles are then positioned to address and counter the challenges black women graduate students experience, while simultaneously serving as spaces of joy and care.

benefits of sista circles including empowerment through sharing stories in community; shared responsibility of space—challenging power dynamics; challenging experiences with tokenization

As black women create sisterhood networks and communities, practitioners and faculty need to understand the theoretical foundations of sista circles to effectively support black women graduate students. Research using SCM generally connects back to four different theoretical frameworks. Black feminist thought, endarkened feminist epistemology (EFE), womanism, and critical race feminism (CRF) as underpinnings. I briefly overview the theories and outlining connections to sista circles, as well as the authenticity of community building among black women.

Black Feminism

The theoretical work of black feminist scholars informs SCM. Patricia Hill Collins's seminal work on Black Feminist Thought provides some elements that constitute a black feminist epistemology, sharing how black women produce subjugated knowledge to explore their standpoints. Black feminism underscores lived experience as a criterion of meaning, dialogue in assessing knowledge claims, and black women as agents of knowledge. Valuing the knowledge black women hold based on their lived experience is an essential aspect of black feminism and sista circles. To properly engage in identity-conscious mentoring with black women, you must believe they hold valuable knowledge.

To properly engage in identity-conscious mentoring with black women, you must believe they hold valuable knowledge.

Endarkened Feminist Epistemology

Building on black feminism, in 2000 Dr Cynthia Dillard outlined several aspects of EFE relevant to sista circles. EFE calls for acknowledging the history and culture of black women and a duty of care. Sista circles embody this care and black women's culture through providing space for black women to support one another. A disposition of care is then essential in mentoring black women. I reflected this in my dissertation research, which emphasized care and placed research aims as secondary to black women's benefit.

Critical Race Feminism

CRF details several tenets that connect to the essence of sista circles. CRF is a branch of critical race theory, created to draw attention to gendered experience when analyzing systemic racist oppression. Establishing a sista circle with CRF principles demands action. We know black women experience oppression based on their marginalized identities. Providing black women space to discuss the impacts of oppression may lead to solutions if higher education professionals are humbled to listen and act. Through my research, we discussed many issues, such as the difficulties of navigating the program's comprehensive exam process. From my findings, faculty became aware of the issue and improved the process. This is a small change, but it highlights that change is possible when you listen and act.

Womanism

Finally, sista circles are influenced by the connections between black women to each other. Africana womanism is a black woman-centered theory that departs from the connection to whiteness in feminism. The influence of Africana womanism is evident in the conception of sista circles. Three Africana womanist characteristics are action-oriented and directly tied to the purpose and use of sista circles: family centeredness, genuine sisterhood, and respect. As black women, we need a space where our value in family and community are appreciated. We care about the collective and pass knowledge of resistance within our families and extended families. Alice Walker's womanism encourages women to love each other, an essential part of our genuine sisterhood. This is reflected in sista circles as we support each other in navigating our experiences, a political act that centers our voices and knowledge. Space for black women to build and command respect is powerful. When a black woman has a healthy respect for herself, she will seek respect from others.

This is reflected in sista circles as we support each other in navigating our experiences, a political act that centers our voices and knowledge.

Sista Circles and Mentoring in Action

Black women have survived relying on the support of each other in nontraditional spaces through nurturing our whole selves, physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Sista circles facilitate this support, and occur in various locations in the black community, including beauty shops, book clubs, social clubs, sorority meetings, and church organizations. Sista circles offer black women space for what Harley and the Black Women and Work Collective described as “reliable comfort and succor that make it possible to know, however difficult individual conditions are, that somewhere there exists a safe space for them.” Drs Ellen Short and Wendi Williams viewed sista circles as providing a space for black women to “harness a power to heal themselves.” The key features of sista circles, as articulated by Dr Johnson, are communication dynamics, centrality of empowerment, and researcher as a participant. In the following section, I discuss each tenet and connect them to my mentoring journey. Additionally, I highlight the impact of each tenet on black women, providing context to consider within identity-conscious mentoring practices.

Communication Dynamics

Communication dynamics honors and acknowledges the unique verbal expressions of black women. Sista circles create space for mixing mainstream American English, African American Vernacular English, black language, and nonverbal communication to coexist and collide. This attention to the collision of our forms of communication is important because as Evans-Winters noted, “Unfortunately, academic English is limited on capturing certain aspects of Black woman dialect.” These forms of communication exist without question or critique within the collective space of sista circles with other black women.

Allowing the authentic communication style of black women provides an opportunity for black women to be heard and understood in the style of voice that most represents us. How black women communicate is important in a mentoring relationship, and what they choose to discuss is also important. One aspect of communication dynamic is the way black women use laughter. In a forthcoming piece with my past graduate research assistant, Dr Ekaete Udoh, we discuss the use of black language in sista circles finding that black women use laughter in unfunny situations. During my dissertation research, one of the sista scholars laughed when explaining she attends universities in areas not best suited for black women.

“I feel like it's a running joke for me at this point, but I’ve basically only lived in cities that are literally the worst places in the US to live for Black women, and Pittsburgh is one of them.”—Jasmine

How black women communicate is important in a mentoring relationship, and what they choose to discuss is also important.

In looking into the racial dynamics of Pittsburgh, she was not wrong. However, for black women, we are not given the luxury of only attending institutions that are havens for us. We must make do with our circumstances; relying on the power of sista circles is one way we persist and endure. Black women can use laughter in many ways, such as a response to gendered racial microaggressions. Having a space of peers with similar experience eases the need to overexplain the issues we discuss. Do not stifle how black women communicate; be open and accepting as a mentor. Remember from black feminist thought to value the knowledge of black women, even when communicated differently than your norm.

We must make do with our circumstances; relying on the power of sista circles is one way we persist and endure.

Centrality of Empowerment

The second feature is the centrality of empowerment. Sista circles are designed to empower sista scholars in connection with other black women, sharing their knowledge and experiences. I know I benefited as a master's student learning how to apply for PhD programs from PhD students in my sistah circle at the USC. Shaquita created a space where she saw a need to support black women on our campus. Our sistah circle at the USC was campus-wide, but there is no limit on the number of sister circle spaces at one institution. As higher education professionals consider the needs of black women on your campus, have you connected black women students with one another? You can facilitate the creation of a sista circle in your program, department, unit, or wherever you have influence, and empower black women to do the same. Furthermore, in your identity-conscious mentoring, ensure that empowerment is an essential aspect. Equip black women with the knowledge to navigate the hidden curriculum, so we can thrive.

“Researcher” as a Participant: Positionality

The third feature focuses on the researcher's role and connection with the participants. You can relate this to your positionality as a mentor. How are you connected with your mentee? What power relations exist in your mentoring dynamic? How do your lived experiences shape your mentoring approach? What does community with black women look like to you? In thinking about your positionality, you can better relate to your mentees. Identifying your positionality will help you understand how to ensure reciprocity is part of your mentoring dynamic with black women. Reciprocity is central to sista circles; knowledge is exchanged between mentor and mentee. You can ensure reciprocity is occurring through engaging in dialogue. Black women have knowledge to contribute and through dialogue you can identify ways you can best support your mentee. Dialogue also moves you toward being in community with your mentee. Community is an essential component of the black community and in sista circles. As practitioners and faculty interested in providing identity-conscious mentoring, think about how you can be in community with black women and how you can provide a benefit to students. Relying on community removes the burden of having to do everything alone. How can you leverage your positionality and access to support students? You must critically reflect on how you are connected to black women and why you are motivated in supporting them.

What does community with black women look like to you?

Note I never mentioned an inability to connect and mentor black women if you do not also identify as a black woman. It may appear that the only way to facilitate and engage black women in sista circles is by being a black woman. That is sometimes a cop out used by faculty and administration that black women faculty are the only individuals capable of supporting black women students, which creates an extra burden of labor on black women faculty. All faculty and staff must have vested interest in cultivating community with black women.

Reflexivity

In addition to the features created and outlined by Dr Johnson for SCM, I propose reflexivity as integral to using the practices learned from the methodology in identity-conscious mentoring relationships. Engaging in reflexivity is needed for the mentors and mentees. Mentors, regardless of identity, should be reflexive and continually assess how your identities and experiences shape your connection with black women. There are many ways to foster a climate for reflexivity, such as through creating vision boards as part of the sista circle experience. This approach can allow us to imagine supporting black women in their reflexivity. In several studies using SCM, researchers used member checking in their data analysis. In practice you can offer check-ins to elicit feedback and open communication, discussing their new needs and areas of improvement. As a black feminist thought principle, valuing the knowledge of black women is integral. Work to ensure you are valuing this knowledge and on the same page. As people supporting black women, you must be open to feedback and change based on the feedback.

Cautions of Incorporating Sista Circles

After detailing what sista circles are, the theoretical foundation of sista circles, and connecting the aspects of SCM to practice, I want to pause. There are a few cautionary words before you facilitate sista circles for black women graduate students or employ some of the practices gleaned from them in mentoring. The mentoring relationship will be unique to the mentor and mentee. As faculty and practitioners interested in identity-conscious mentoring you must be aware of your own identity(ies) and biases. Understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sista circles and that we must not essentialize the experience of black women on our campuses. Adopt flexibility to allow black women to claim control and agency. This will facilitate authenticity in relationship building and community.

Additionally, mentoring alone is not an intervention to combat systemic oppression. Higher education professionals must still work to change systemic issues that operate against black women on our campuses. The root of issues black women face in higher education persists even with well-intentioned and identity-informed mentoring practices. It is then necessary to advocate for systemic change, especially now in our current political climate, where we are facing attacks in all areas and against the most marginalized communities. Additionally, embody an ethic of care. We cannot only focus on academics because we do not live in a vacuum and act as if the outside world does not exist. We must see students as full humans with lives. Care is essential during these times when black women in higher education are dying on the job. It is easy to spot inauthentic care in a mentorship relationship. Identity-conscious mentoring rooted in care is needed for black women graduate students.

Care is essential during these times when black women in higher education are dying on the job.

Finally, if your program has only a few black women enrolled, there is an issue; consider ways to foster a cross-campus community for black women graduate students. Creating structural support for black women to foster community building allows for resource sharing and peer mentorship to thrive. The onus to create and connect black women should not just be the students’ task. Aid and empower black women on your campuses in creating sista circles through providing resources (food, funding, space, access to guest speakers) for them to thrive in community and employing practices that honor our humanity.

Through this piece, I hope I challenged you to consider ways you can provide mentoring and support for black women at your campus. Higher educational professionals (staff, administrators, and faculty) across identities must educate themselves on cultural nuances to apply mentoring endeavors. Black women deserve mentoring specific to their needs, and we as higher education professionals owe it to them.