Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie and Ebony, Sistas Bonafide LLC.
Hi Stephanie and Ebony, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Our sisterhood was born in 2006 during our Freshman and Sophomore years of High School. Our similarities in the way we were raised, as well as our interests, morals and values are what instantly connected us. This bond grew into a 15-year friendship which allowed us to share our aspirations of developing programs and resources particularly for Black and Brown women in under-resourced communities. As young adults, we knew how important it was for us to give back to our people, however we did not exactly know where to start.
In March of 2020 during the height of the pandemic, we decided to bring all of our aspirations we shared as young women to life with the launch of Sistas Bonafide LLC. Our organization is dedicated to uplifting, encouraging and providing women of color with the tools to reach their highest potentials. Through our work thus far, we have assisted with helping mothers with the resources for homeschooling their children, child care resources and housing support. Additionally, we’ve launched our YouTube page where we discuss a wide array of topics such as generational stigmas in the black and brown communities, motherhood taboos, and many others. We’ve also invited guests onto our channel to amplify their business ventures and bring awareness to their personal stories.
Through this work, we hope to continue to empower women of color by letting them know they are worthy of reaching their highest potentials and to have the courage to take up space in this world.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In trying to obtain any goal, there will always be obstacles standing in the way. We try and keep an open mind in how we react, the way we perceive these obstacles and finding meaning in what these disincentives will ultimately teach us.
Two hurdles we continue to face that have presented the biggest challenges to overcome are:
1. Starting a business while maintaining our daily responsibilities. This requires an entire new skill set to be learned, being prepared to invest your own resources without seeing an immediate return and endue extra time to our craft without draining ourselves. We combat this by actualizing that any progresses we make toward our goals are worthy, and our mental and physical health is priority.
2. Staying true to ourselves, morals and visions, even if it means taking longer to reach the objective. One thing Sistas Bonafide will never do is conform! We realize is it much easier to go with the status quo, but we will not compromise our values to get ahead. We have vowed to the importance that making it as our authentic and transparent selves will be most worth it, and any support gained along the way will be unwavering.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Sistas Bonafide LLC is an organization dedicated to uplifting women of color with the resources they need to reach their highest potentials. Through our work, we offer personal outreach mechanisms, such as housing support, food services, grief and healing support, budgeting and saving tips, and tools for holistic mental, physical and emotional health. Our YouTube channel provides an opportunity for our Sistas Bonafide community to see the women behind the organization. Our viewers get a personalized perspective that we are everyday relatable women just like them.
The aspect of our work that we are most proud of is the amount of women we have been able to assist thus far. The power of social media has been an amazing outlet for our work. It has tremendously aided us in connecting with so many outstanding women (and people in general) who are looking for support.
Essentially, what sets us apart from others is the true sisterhood that we share. We truly believe that our bond was no accident. The way we support one other in our personal lives transcends to what we put forth in our work with Sistas Bonafide. We are always present in each other’s lives to provide exactly what we show our clients; support, compassion and love.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Ultimately our goal is to get our organization off the ground where we commit to doing outreach, advocacy and providing resources for women of color. However, in order to get our mission and vision seen, we have utilized YouTube as one of our most substantial resources. In networking with others on projects like our Social Media Sistas and Real Talk segments, we have come across many peers with amazing blogs, podcasts and businesses. Some amazing examples of this are our collaborations with Kerensa Amanda Consulting who vlogs and provides resources on all things Lifestyle and Personal Finance and Mama Lyfe Plus 3 and her podcast on the adventures of motherhood! We try our very best to support and be inspired by connecting with others who share similar goals and inspiring stories.
Contact Info:
- Email: sistasbonafide@outlook.com
- Website: www.sistasbonafidellc.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/sistasbonafide
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXMtZUc76IlOGs09jVoWx6w
Image Credits:
Sistas Bonafide
