“They Never Leave You”: Bearing Witness and Holding Space for Radical Healing, Reclamation, and Love
摘要
This chapter explores the creation of spaces where Black Motherscholars can embrace the fullness of their identities as women, mothers, scholars, individuals, and members of a collective. Through reflective dialogue and shared storytelling, we engage in a process of radical healing, navigating the complexities of grief and joy, brokenness and wholeness, loss and reclamation. This work serves as both a personal and communal act of resistance, honoring the narratives of Black women who traverse the intersections of motherhood and academia. By centering our experiences as knowledge production, we affirm that our stories are not only valid but essential to shaping transformative spaces of belonging. In holding space for ourselves and others, we weave a tapestry of intergenerational and interdisciplinary connection, fostering a web of communal support, empathy, and resilience. Ultimately, this chapter situates Black mothering within and beyond the academy as both an individual journey and a collective movement toward liberation, healing, and intellectual reimagining.