Discovering Unwavering Love: The Power of Community and Possibility in the Life Trajectory of a Black Gay Band Director

In this narrative study, we share Stephen's story of growing up Black and gay in a predominantly White Southern neighborhood to become an award-winning band director. Community cultural wealth, fictive kinship, and possible selves served as theoretical lenses of analysis. From five semistructured interviews, photo analysis, and text messages, we identified five primary themes: pathways paved, school mentors, being outed, expanding horizons, and forging new paths. Findings illustrate how extended family networks can function with nuclear family to provide multiple forms of capital and a path for self-actualization.