This essay explores the autoethnographic possibilities of critical service-learning research and the emerging realities of a community-centered womanist methodological response. Drawing from Alice Walker's definition of "womanist" as a commitment to "survival and wholeness of entire people, male 'and' female," the author argues that this approach is especially relevant to research centered on urban communities and populations of color. Womanist epistemology challenges assumptions requiring such groups to be represented and "spoken for" based on a singular conception of "truth" through a positivistic lens. Given their commitment to Black female cultural expressions, everyday conversations, and life stories, womanist epistemology and theory seek to disrupt dominant ways of knowing. Both have strong implications in research, creating an ethos of responsibility that not only provides a space for previously unheard voices to speak but also builds meaningful relationships among community members and researchers that ensure more accurate representation extending well beyond data collection and interpretation.