The author introduces a reflective model of racial, cultural and spiritual engagement for researchers and research participants in an attempt to guide them in the development of perhaps more empowering research about African-Americans. The model focuses on three essential areas to help guide researchers and participants: the cultural self, the racial self and the spiritual self. Maintaining and centralizing these areas in the study of African-Americans can be critical in developing empowering research that produces knowledge to inform theory, research and practice. The interrelated phases of reflection in the model are (a) researcher/participant racial and cultural identity reflection; (b) spiritual reflection; (c) history/literature on race, culture and spirit; and (d) situational context. After a review of the literature on the cultural, racial and spiritual line, the author introduces the model and concludes with examples of the model in practice. (Contains 1 figure and 2 notes.)