Sisterhood is synonymous with being a Black Woman

The concept of sisterhood is synonymous with Black culture. From the time we are little girls watching our mothers laugh with their friends over unspoken secrets in a language that belongs solely to them, to our own rights of passage developing sister friends of our own at school and from the neighborhood. Whether it’s college sorority sisters students stepping in unison and proudly throwing up their signs or a group of Black women balling out while celebrating a birthday at a 5-star restaurant, our infamous relationship with our girlfriends is unique to our community.

Sisterhood is possibly the most obvious cultural norm in the Black community. Corporate companies have recognized it for decades focusing on the relationship between Black women to sell everything from cars to food to laundry detergent. It’s Essence fest, it’s Florida and Wilona on Good Times Weezie and Helen on the Jefferson’s, Marla Gibbs and ladies of 227 gossiping on the stoop, it’s the diversity of Regine, Max, Sinclair and Khadijah on Living Single to the conflict between Joan and Toni on Girlfriends to the drama on Tyler Perry’s Sistas to the remix of Brandy’s ‘I Wanna Be Down’ featuring Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Yo-yo it’s Oprah and Gayle traveling cross country in a Winnebago, it’s the realization that you’d be hard pressed to find a Black woman who can recite a line from Maya Angelou’s ‘Phenomenal Woman’— sisterhood is our status quo.

On July 21st our country was shocked by the news of Joe Biden stepping down from the 2024 presidential race. His initial tweet announced his decision to step down and his next tweet endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris. On that summer afternoon Black women across the country embraced Kamala as if she were their line sister in a sorority and made her fight their own. The rest of the country might’ve been shocked that Jotaka Eady, CEO of Full Circle Strategies was able to mobilize 44,000 Black women on a zoom call to raise over a million dollars towards Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, but in the words of Glynda Car, president of a Higher Heights, a political action committee, “We were built for this moment.” The proactive display of sisterhood incited unity among other groups, first Black men then White women and even White men. It’s a testament to the power of Black women but more specifically the strength and impact of Black women in unison. In the words of Iyanla Vanzant I am not my sister’s keeper, I am my sister. That ideology has held us through pain, oppression, abuse and discrimination. It has offered a safe haven as we’ve endured the multitude of wrongs we’ve endured from sexual and physical abuse to being overworked, overlooked and yes underpaid. Through sisterhood we have transitioned pain to progress, becoming the fastest group of small business owners and corporate leaders in the US.

Sisterhood isn’t something that can be bought or  duplicated or earned. It’s as natural to us, to me as breathing. It’s embedded in our royal DNA, passed down to our daughters and granddaughters and great granddaughters. It’s our superpower and I believe we have yet to see its full potential. I was asked if I was proud to witness the impact of Black women on VP Kamala’s campaign and my answer of course was yes, however I know like many others this is not new. This is us, it’s how we’re taught to show up for one another from birth. I challenge you to think of all the ways sisterhood has healed you over your lifetime. How has the presence of your sister tribe helped you through life’s obstacles throughout your life. As we celebrate the impact of sisterhood for VP Harris, my prayer is that we will become even more aware of our power and influences on our families, our  communities on a daily basis.

I look forward to hearing and sharing your stories at Lenox & Parker.

In love & light always,

Dr. Christal Jordan Jennings

Editor-in-Chief