Sister Circles as a Resistance and Resilience Tool in the Tenure and Promotion Process

Abstract The experiences of two Black women faculty at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) with Sister Circles are presented in this autoethnography. The chapter defines Sister Circles and provides clarifying attributes and identifying characteristics within the context of higher education. The chapter expands the literature on Sister Circles, formalizing it as a powerful tool to assist Black women navigating promotion and tenure in higher education. Grounded in Collins’s Black Feminist Thought and Cannon’s Black Womanist Ethics, Sister Circles are presented as formal and informal groups of Black women working in tandem, toward an agreed upon goal encroached in cultural sensibilities and social support. Sister Circles provide viable, tangible, and sustainable tools to successfully navigate the often-tenuous tenure and promotion process in higher education. Leaning on the community-centered history of Black women’s collective work, Sister Circles consciously, congruently, and culturally provides strategies for success in the academy.