Author ORCID Identifier
(https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2797-9241)
Defense Date
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Shawn C.T. Jones, PhD MHS, LCP
Second Advisor
Jessica Young Brown, PhD, LCP
Third Advisor
Fantasy Lozada, PhD
Fourth Advisor
Jayme Canty, PhD
Fifth Advisor
Dawn Johnson, JD, PhD
Abstract
This work sought to understand: 1) What it means to be a fat Black woman from their storied vantage point; 2) how these messages shaped their relationship with self and others; and 3) what messages they would like to share with their younger selves— while interweaving my lived experiences and perspectives. Through these narratives, personal reflections, and observations of Sista Circles (Gatica-Perez, 2006; Palmer, 2021; Tedlock, 1991), this project incorporated multimethod qualitative approaches, combining narrative (Bhattacharya, 2013; Connelly & Clandinin, 1990; McClish-Boyd & Bhattacharya, 2021; 2023) and autoethnographic inquiry (Adams et al., 2017; Boylorn & Orbe, 2014; Chawla & Atay, 2014; Holman Jones, 2016) to enrich the utility of Sista Circles as a counter-space for healing (Johnson, 2015; McLane-Davison et al., 2018) and share counternarratives of fat Black women’s experiences.
The four women identified as 1) woman (all using she/her pronouns), 2) Black or Black biracial [one of the knowledge bearers was Afro-Caribbean (Cape Verdean)], and 3) between the ages of 26-33 years old (M=28.5). The Sista Circles for the Blossoming in the Margin Project convened for five consecutive weeks, exploring their storied lives from the past (girlhood) to the present (womanhood) and revisiting their childhood through a narrative therapy-informed reflection activity, letter writing (Gehart, 2017; White & Epston, 1990). Leveraging narrative analysis, analysis of narrative, and affectivity and embodiment in fieldwork, stories of forgiveness, patience, acceptance, love, self-discovery, relational repair, personal autonomy, community, and resistance bloom. In close, I offer a rich discussion and implications of this work.
Rights
© Broquelynn D. Shepard
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
10-2-2025