This project explores the experiences of two Black women on the tenure track at a predominantly white university in California. Inspired by Lorgia García Peña's Community as Rebellion: A Syllabus for Surviving Academia as a Woman of Color, the authors engage in a duoethnographic journey, reflecting on their resilience and resistance in academia. Using García Peña's book as a catalyst, they share challenges and successes, discussing survival strategies and resisting pressures towards complicity with whiteness. The authors examine the prickliness of establishing trust with their colleagues, with students, and in the broader institutional context. They explore the metaphorical notion of standing in the gap as a symbol of advocating for future students and creating a trusting learning environment. The project is a testament to the importance of cultivating friendship, fostering community, and challenging institutional norms for Black women and women of color faculty.