(ThySistas.com) “You can always tell who the strong women are. They are the ones you see building one another up, instead of tearing one another down.” – Unknown
The need for sisterhood is at an all time high in the black community. So often women mistake friendship for sisterhood and assume the women they chill with and talk to on a regular basis fulfill the need of sisterhood within our communities. Friendships are often built upon a foundation of who we’re able to have fun with, longevity, who we feel safe fully being ourselves around and who is able to accept us where we are.
Sisterhood is a movement, it is the process of creating the change we desire to see. Within the sisterhood there is certainly friendliness, but we may not hang out and chit chat about our day to day lives on the phone or over coffee. We shouldn’t always mix business with pleasure! Sisterhood is solidarity, a united front of women who have 
come together with similiar visions to make their dreams a reality. We don’t get together to play, it’s all work, nonetheless that which we are passionate about is often fun and exciting.
We often seek friendships but rarely sisterhood. Friends often have different life paths hence a different purpose and while those relationships are sacred, here are 5 reason we should seek sisterhood rather than more friendships.
1. Creates a bond centered around action. Friendship is often centered around fun and excitement. Sisterhood is a movement that revolves around action, purpose and solid community missions. Simply put, sisterhood is about getting ish done! Whether its counseling and support for abused women or those who have been sexually assaulted, providing afterschool care for the youth in the community, building a business or starting a community garden. Whatever the sisters come together to do is rooted in making positive changes in their lives and the lives of those around them.
2. Provides an Uplifting, Supportive Environment. There’s nothing like being around sisters who are in the process of building themselves and their communities. The unity transforms into love… love of self, love of purpose and love of the community. In this environment you will be challenged by women who are getting it done and who are able to eliminate every excuse you attempt to create. Within the Sisterhood all you can is “Yes I can! Yes I will!”, there is no self-pity, there is only forward motion.
3. Alleviates loneliness in mission. At times when we’re creating positive programs, projects and businesses it’s a lonely process and sadly our friends and families aren’t always supportive of our mission or buiness. Having other women who are moving along the same path as you with equal or greater intensity and passion as you, mountains begin to move.
4. Teaches how to honor other women. This male dominated society has done an excellent job preparing women to destroy other women. Rarely will we support another woman until men begin to praise her, then we become her bigget fan. Sisterhood teaches us how to honor the presense and purpose of other women as well as ourselves. It teaches us to see greatness, strength, power and integrity in one another rather than the usual fashion and beauty aspects.
5. Opportunity to mentor young girls. Through sisterhood our young girls learn that women can get along, that we can love and support one another, that our competition should be for improvement of ourselves and our community rather than attention and it raises the bar for them as they are next up to bat for the community.We have these “who wore it best” battles but where are the “who had the most girls in their youth program” battles? The “who kept more girls too busy to get pregnant” battles? There’s nothing wrong with competing, its all about the foundation on which you’re playing.