Last time, we talked about the Edifice pillar of being a Black woman with a doctorate. Today I’ll remind you of all the pillars and talk about our next pillar: Inheritance.
Foundation: You’re in the thick of it — ABD, dissertation mode, survival mode. This is your pillar. Connect with sistahs who are right where you are.
Scaffolding: You’ve defended — now you’re building. Book projects, academic writing, and carving out your scholarly identity are the work of this pillar.
Edifice: You’re navigating leadership and figuring out who you are in that role. This is where you build your leadership identity — on your own terms.
Inheritance: You’ve stepped into something new — a department chair role, a directorship, an unexpected transition. This pillar is about leading what you’ve inherited. Or leading what you’re creating with inheritance in mind.
Legacy: You’ve had a full career and life — and now you’re thinking about what endures. The work of this pillar is for senior leaders, administrators, and trailblazers who are building something that outlasts them.
Inheritance.
Merriam Webster defines inheritance as “the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations.”
So what does that have to do with your doctoral journey? Quite a lot.
As we move through our careers, we inherit many things: positions, traditions, guidebooks, teams, and on and on. We most noticeably inherit things when we step into something new or create something new. Yes, even when we create something new, we are walking in the traits from past generations. our mothers, grandmothers, and aunties are all talking to us as we move along our doctoral journey. The inheritance pillar is about listening to their wisdom and joining it with your own.
Inheritance means you don’t have to do this on your own. You can tap into the wisdom of past generations through SDJ readings and discussions. You can lean on your sistahs who are in the same pillar as you. And you can look to sistahs who have been where you are.
Just because you are moving into or creating something new doesn’t mean who have to reinvent the wheel. You can look to the blueprints of the women who came before you and adjust them to fit your context. Those who came before you built and led with you in mind. Honor their work and sacrifice by tapping into the inheritance they have left for you. And then pay it forward by leaving an inheritance for those who come after you. This journey isn’t for you to do alone. It’s for you to do in community.
You need Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ).
Sistahs on the Doctoral Journey (SDJ) is a community of Black women from ABD through wherever your doctoral journey takes you where you can be yourself and give and get what you need. In our community, you can drop the mask you wear every day, relax, and breathe. Fully. Deeply. Finally.
The doors of the SDJ community open on July 1, 2026. Join by June 30, 2026 for a discounted membership for as long as you stay in our community.
Join today at the link below and share this with a sistah you know who is also on the journey.
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