Find in Library

Traditionally, “sister circles are support groups that build upon existing friendships, fictive kin networks, and the sense of community found among Black women” (Neal-Barnett et al., 2018). The context of attending an Indigenous-serving institution grounded in Native Hawaiian culture, values, and knowledge, coupled with the dearth of Black women attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, causes us to reimagine what a traditional sister circle might look like. Hence, we describe the importance of Black and Indigenous women's solidarities and how they are shaped and informed by place. Within this reflection, we describe how ʻike Hawaiʻi (Hawaiʻi centered knowledge) and ʻāina (land) inform the ways in which we create and sustain community for ourselves and other women of color attending UH Mānoa.