By Maria Trovato

In a meeting Nov. 8, UMD’s Sisterhood of Unity and Love (SOUL) and the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) partnered to discuss sisterhood and its meaning for women of color in particular.

Naomi Choti, a sophomore psychology major and the public relations chair for SOUL, was one of the facilitators of the discussion.

“We thought it would be a good idea just to touch base with all of our members to remind them what sisterhood is,” Choti said. “We thought that having [NCNW] members and their perspectives on it just would enhance the conversation.”

Jordan Lloyd, a junior geographical information science major and the president of NCNW, also facilitated the discussion.

“To me, a sister is just someone who has your back and is willing to treat you like they would want you to treat them,” Lloyd said.

Brittany Eshun is a senior health science major and the community service chair for SOUL. She participated in the discussion to stress the importance of sisterhood.

“Sisterhood does not have mean that you’re blood-related to someone,” Eshun said. “It’s great to uplift each other, because normally when it comes to women of color and how we’re portrayed in the media, we don’t really see a lot of sisterhood. We see people tearing each other down.”

The moderators asked the groups how their definitions of sisterhood have changed over time.

Eshun said that a large part of growing is realizing who you should maintain friendships with.

“When you’re young and you have a lot of friends, it’s something to be praised,” Eshun said. “As you start to get older, that really doesn’t matter anymore. Your friend group tends to get smaller, and you also realize which friends don’t need to be in your life because they’re toxic.”

During the discussion, sophomore community health and public policy double major Stephanie Olebara said a lack of reciprocity can lead to sisterhoods falling apart.

“You start reflecting on your relationship and how much you invest in people, and then sometimes you realize that you’re giving your 1,000 percent in this relationship and you’re not getting the same,” Olebara said. “Is it worth me investing all this time and energy into keeping this friendship if you’re not showing me that same type of energy?”

The group also discussed how sisterhoods can be rekindled and maintained. Olebara said checking in with your friends is vital.

“You might think that everything is good, but just checking, just asking is important,” Olebara said. “Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing as a friend? Is there an area where I can improve? Just check and make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to.”