Georgia Dawkins is living her dream.
Dawkins, a 2010 graduate of FAMU’s School of Journalism & Graphic Communication, is a segment producer who helped develop the talk show “Sister Circle” in Atlanta that is getting more buzz every week.
“It means that God sees our dreams and He makes them bigger. This show means that we have a voice,” Dawkins said.
“It’s not the one black girl on the panel, it’s not the token black person, it's our voices and it’s not just one and that’s what makes the voice of “Sister Circle” so unique because everybody gets a say. It’s so beautiful.”
In September 2017 Tegna launched a daily roundtable talk show aimed at African American women called “Sister Circle.”
The talk show is taped in Atlanta, and is hosted by four women: Quad Webb-Lunceford, who is a star on the Bravo series “Married to Medicine,” sports reporter and FAMU alum Rashan Ali, singer Syleena Johnson and standup comedian Kiana Dancie. The four discuss a wide range of topics dealing with lifestyles, relationship issues, politics and other subjects.
“I scouted talent and initially we only had three spots but when these four women came in Rashan, Syleena, Kiana, and Quad, they just made sense. We thought the show looked one way but the way they did it was exactly what we needed,” Dawkins said.
“Sister Circle” host and FAMU alum Rashan Ali says that when she got the call to be part of the “Sister Circle” show she knew that this was her moment to showcase who she really was.
“To be able to show my personality and showcase all of my experiences that I have on a daily basis is something that is something I’ve dreamt of. Especially to do it with a Rattler by your side has been something refreshing and I'm grateful to be able to do it with someone like Georgia,” Ali said.
During the creation period of “Sister Circle,” Dawkins spent a lot of time brainstorming on what the show would look like. Most of her time was dedicated to finding a name until she came across, “Sister Circle.” Dawkins compares the name of the show to a women's retreat and says that most retreats have a portion where women can sit in a group and share their issues.
“No matter what your issue or problem may be, in that circle, those women will love on you. The love may look like a hug, tears, money or it may look like tough love but its still love. I knew that that’s what this show could be.”
Dawkins hopes that this show can continue to be a voice for African American women and believes that it can be a voice for the unspoken.
During her years at Florida A&M University in SJGC, Dawkins was very involved in student media. Her first job was with the school newspaper, The FAMUAN.
“I started at the FAMUAN as a religion editor and they made us a whole new section. Student media helped prepare me for this industry,” Dawkins said.
Dawkins plans on leaving “Sister Circle” this January with the goal of becoming a producer and helping others follow their dreams. On January 10, 2018, TEGNA listed her position as segment producer vacant.
“God wants me to take my gift, the same gift that I used to birth
Sister Circle’ with to help other people birth their dreams,” Dawkins said.
Dawkins signed, sealed and delivered a letter to “Sister Circle” stating how the show was a place where people that might not have had an audience at first, could now share their story to over 65 million homes.
Her letter to the cast and crew of “Sister Circle” said, ”To My Beloved Sister Circle: You are the manifestation of my dreams. The day you were born, I knew you would be a safe place for Black women to laugh, cry, and grow. But most importantly, I knew you could lead the conversation about topics that matter to our people. You are everything I ever dreamed you could be, but God's dreams are bigger.”