Episode #22: Sista Circles Research

In #InVinoFab episode no. 22 we are joined by Dr. Joan Collier and Dr. Marvette Lacy to share about their qualitative research using Sista Circles both as a practice and study. This research approach for a more culturally grounded methodology to understand the experiences of black women graduate students and scholars.
In #InVinoFab episode no. 22 we are joined by Dr. Joan Collier and Dr. Marvette Lacy to share about their qualitative research using Sista Circles both as a practice and study. This research approach for a more culturally grounded methodology to understand the experiences of black women graduate students and scholars.

What is a Sista Circle? Historically, coming together and sharing life experiences with other women. A space to be yourself and find support. These are informal gatherings where women get together for emotional care and share their ways of knowing with a core group for conversation and to talk about the topics of the day. 

In this rich conversation with Marvette and Joan, we explore the sense of belonging for women in higher education, academia, and more. Issues of power dynamics in doctoral programs and also the messiness of analyzing your own voice when scholars are embedded with your own n research. There’s conversation about black and white feminism, and how we show up differently in this movement and how we should let others know “your slip is hanging.”

Fresh off the dissertation process, we discuss the process of working on doctoral work and how to find meaning through this research process. Not answered, but we talked about the challenges we still need to address in the academy, including but not limited to:
 -- How are we mentoring scholars and researchers in a variety of methodologies that are authentic to the learners' experiences?
-- What are the ways your department/institution reward tenure and promotion that consider fostering supportive relationships while advising  support doctoral scholars? 
-- What are the equity considerations we need to think more about when working with graduate students, professional programs, and doctoral programs for people of color? 
-- What are the historically white spaces and structural changes that need to offer support for a broader audiences who are coming to our colleges and universities?
-- Are we seeing our doctoral scholars as people and not just as sources of production?
-- How do you let your learners actually learn and explore their own ways of knowing in relation to how they show up in society?
-- How do we allow students to explore what kind of researcher they want to be?
 -- What is your praxis as an educator, scholar or practitioner in higher education? How do you show up at your institution?

Connect and learn more about their work, practices, and passions here:
Joan Collier
Twitter: @joancollierPhD 
#CiteASista Website: https://citeasista.com/ & #CiteASista (shout out to @Ms_BMWilliams)

Marvette Lacy
Twitter: @marvettelacy

A few of the MANY resources mentioned in this #InVinoFab podcast episode:
-- College Student Educators International (ACPA) http://www.myacpa.org/
-- Dr. Latoya Johnson methodology mentorship of teachers.
-- Scholars of note and citation centred around black feminism and lived experiences in education, student affairs, and higher ed: 
   - Lori Patton Davis https://www.loripattondavis.com/ 
   - Pamela Felder http://pamelafelder.com/ 
-- Joan has the action-based response to discussing whiteness in scholarship, dissertation work, and research with your co-founder Brittany Williams, to support black women in scholarship through the #CiteASista movement: https://citeasista.com/about/
-- Marvette supports scholarship development with conducting literature reviews, being productive with your time, writing retreats, dissertation coaching, editing/transcription services, and workshops related to early career scholarship https://www.marvettelacy.com/blog
 
#InVinoFab: Book Recommendations:
- Well, That Escalated Quickly by Franchesca Ramsey http://www.wteqbook.com/ 
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittany Cooper https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250112576 
- How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective Edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta https://www.akpress.org/how-we-get-free.html  
- At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance - A New History     
 
Other references and citations to check out:
Collier, J. N. (2017). Using Sista Circle Methodology to Examine Sense of Belonging of Black Women in Doctoral Programs at a Historically White Institution (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia).

Lacy, M. C. C. (2017). Black Graduate Women's Self-defining Process Using Media and Sista Circle Methodology (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia).



Other works on Sista Circles in Research
Women of Color Ph.D. Candidates Thrive in Sister Circles http://diverseeducation.com/article/102621/ (Carver, 2017)

Johnson, L. S. (2015). Using Sista Circles to Examine the Professional Experience of Contemporary Black Women Teachers in Schools: A Collective Story about School Culture and Support (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia). https://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/handle/10724/33083 Presentation in 2017

Sister Circles as a Culturally Relevant Intervention for Anxious African American Women
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3212099/ (Neal-Barnett, Murry, Ralston Payne, Thomas & Salley, 2011)

Is there someone else we should talk to? Do you have a question or issue we should chat about on a future pod?  Let us know. We’d love to hear from you about whose story we should share on a future #InVinoFab episode. Send us love, suggestions, and comments to: invinofabulum@gmail.com 
Stay connected for a future episode of the #InVinoFab Podcast:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.