This Is An Us Thing with Dr. Tahirah J. Walker, Pt. 1

This week, hosts Kelli King-Jackson and Dr. Kendra Janelle Ross welcome writer-scholar Dr. Tahirah J. Walker for Part 1 of a rich, generous conversation about womanism, faith, academia, and radical honesty at midlife.

Dr. Walker traces her journey from Newark to Haiti to Pittsburgh— and how living, learning, working, and even giving birth in community shaped her conviction that “you don’t do anything truly liberating without it being communal.” She talks about being the only Black woman who can chair a dissertation, teaching in the era of the two-minute reel, and holding rigor with care as a standard.

Together, they unpack spirituality across traditions (Nation of Islam → Sunni Islam → “recovering church girls”), intergenerational truth-telling (“on today”), and why rhetorical intersectionality matters— especially when institutions adopt the language but not the labor.

Next up (Part 2): a deeper dive into Dr. Walker’s new book, Rhetoric, Intersectionality, and Black Women in Pittsburgh: Living Enough for the City—how Black women reclaim rhetorical space, and what joy and reclamation look like as praxis.

Related Links & References

• Alice Walker — entry point to womanism; The Color Purple lineage
• Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw — intersectionality (and the need to reclaim it)
• Deesha Philyaw, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
• D. Danyelle Thomas, The Day God Saw Me as Black (title referenced by Dr. Walker)
• Dr. Tahirah J. Walker, Rhetoric, Intersectionality, and Black Women in Pittsburgh: Living Enough for the City — (featured in Part 2, but can be ordered here)

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This episode was produced and edited by Centering Equity Productions, with the original theme song written and performed by Kendra Ross.

Learn more:

• Kelli King-Jackson — iamkelli.com
• Dr. Kendra Janelle Ross — kendraross.com
• This Womanist’s Work — thiswomanistworkpodcast.com

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Kelli King-Jackson is a certified professional coach to Black women leading in white spaces. In addition to coaching, she works with organizations truly committed to justice for Black women by providing philanthropic advising, facilitation, and speaking services. Learn more about Kelli’s work here: https://www.iamkelli.com/

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