We are our own medicine: (Re)membering leadership at the knee of my Grandmothers

Abstract

We are our own medicine: (Re)membering leadership at the knee of my Grandmothers explores the question, “What are the herstories of my family’s past, present and futures, and how might I (re)member myself through reclaiming those stories?” Situated within the context of the persistent violence of antiblackness within the American k-12 system, I offer this dissertation in praxis as grounded in Black feminist storytelling. Themed under recovered affirmations, are storied memories from and about the Black women in my family, layered where relevant with insights into my present. These counterstories are made hypervisible as acts of resistance and an argument toward a more loving leadership. This project reflects who I am today–journeying to reclaim a definition of leadership fortified by inherited wisdom(s). To close this work, I offer imagined futures for Black women leading in stifling spaces–a love letter and a prayer–for my sisters who also refuse for any of their selves to be made invisible.