Of Sistren has been a dream of my heart what feels like my entire life. I grew up in an environment where I was shrouded by women who spoke life to me and it fostered in me a fierce advocacy for other women ... sistren. When I was an adolescent, my mom — then in her late 20s was a part of a group at our church called "The Daughters of Emmanuel." And I was so eager to grow up and be in that collective because it was a space where even from my young perspective I could tell they were being greatly enriched. I learned recently it was just that — described to me as "spiritually focused, women's empowerment — designed to expose church women to things outside of church like culture, travel, education and the arts. It was a space for them to fellowship with women of like faith but also with women of other faiths" and, ultimately, to offer them positive experiences and to increase them. Just the observation of it from afar, knowing it existed and imagining what was happening within its confines was enough to inspire me.
In my 20s, I founded Inspiring Excellence, an community-based enhancement program for African-American adolescent girls in Ohio with a focus on expanding their capacities and cultivating a space for them to intentionally plan for their futures. Each time one of those young women I met as fourth graders graduated from college or launched into her dreams, my heart has beamed.
And as life has progressed, navigating the different phases has revealed just how vital and steadying a force the support of women is for me. Women need women. So, here it is; Of Sistren — a place for women to gather ... to be inspired ... to reflect ... to increase because we were made for more.
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