This article highlights the intersections of Mattering, Dialogue, and Love--three seemingly distinct concepts, within schooling and research. Using sister circles, book presentations, and a critical ethnography, we underscore how a critical examination of one's lived experiences can serve as a platform for anti-racist and social justice work. In this way, this article functions as a medium through which we acknowledge systemic inequities perpetuated within schools and recenter schools as extensions of the communities they serve.