The scholarship on historical and contemporary African-American teachers highlights the emphasis on community connections in their work. As such, the scholarship portrays African-American teachers almost exclusively as "givers" without fully considering what teachers derive from community connections. This paper describes a qualitative study in which intergenerational African-American teachers illustrate the dual nature of community connections and the ways in which constructs of community informed their work. Three distinct points along the professional spectrum--entry, career development, and long-term career trajectories--illuminate the ways in which community reciprocity impacts and informs the teachers under study. Study findings elucidated a communal reciprocity in that community connections influenced professional entry contributed to feelings of personal and professional self-worth and impacted long-term career goals. (Contains 1 table.)