Sister2Sister: Empowerment Through Action

By Lauren Rodgers ‘27

The Annandale Advocate had the pleasure of talking with Skylar Walker, a Bard alumna and co-founder of Sister2Sister, a mentorship program that empowers young women of color in communities at and around Bard College. Originally a TLS project, Sister2Sister has expanded over the years to become a wide-reaching, established project under the Center for Civic Engagement. Read more about Sister2Sister, their co-founder, and their initiatives below!



AA: Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
 
SW: Hello, I'm Skylar Walker, the co-founder and coordinator for Sister2Sister. Originally from
Atlanta, Georgia, I attended Bard as a Posse Scholar from 2017-2021, studying jazz vocal
performance. During my time at Bard, I had the honor of collaborating with many students on
various musical projects and performances and even released some music of my own!

AA: Tell us more about your project Sister2Sister.

SW: Sister2Sister, founded in the spring of 2018, is a program serving young women of color in both Kingston, NY and NYC. When conceptualizing our program, we aimed for Sister2Sister (S2S) to address the needs and challenges we faced as high school students. After establishing S2S as a TLS project, we made weekly trips to Kingston, gathering input from young girls to tailor our program to best fit their needs. After our first year of programming at the Ulster County and Saugerties Boys & Girls Club, we expanded to Kingston High School and hosted our first in-person conference in Washington, D.C. for the young women of color from BHSEC (Bard High School Early College) DC. In Spring 2021, we held our first virtual conference focusing on young Black entrepreneurship and mental health education, connecting with women of color nationwide. We concluded the conference by providing all participants with tee shirts and tote bags as tokens of appreciation. In Summer of 2021, Sister2Sister was officially institutionalized by Bard College, becoming a Civic Engagement initiative under the CCE. Since then, Sister2Sister has served over 300 women of color, codified a 12-week curriculum, organized numerous workshops and outreach events, constructed a student leadership team, and committed to an annual conference for young women of color for BHSEC Queens & Manhattan. Serving young women of color in Kingston for six consecutive years, we've implemented workshops focusing on self-development/exploration, arts education, and early college awareness, creating a space for young women of color to cultivate sisterhood.

AA: What does Sister2Sister mean to you?

SW: Sister2Sister is symbolic of the future and what is to come for the next generation of young Black women. It means sisterhood empowerment through action, mindset, and experience. To me, Sister2Sister is an organization that every community needs, especially during such an
expansive time where our youth might find themselves in a whirlwind of confusion and chaos. Sister2Sister is a safe haven for all women of color to come and be prioritized. I am honored to have founded and coordinated such a unique and prestigious organization and could not have asked for a better opportunity to honor women of color. As women of color, we often feel constricted and bound to the stereotypes placed on us before we can even understand what they are and how they may tarnish our internal identity and overall perception of self. Sister2Sister is a movement that operates out of the reality of the marginalized experience but shifts the narrative to something that promotes overall wellness and positivity. This organization has taught me so much about myself and others, but most importantly, the young women of color we serve and impact.

AA: Sister2Sister made candy grams for Valentine's Day. What was your inspiration for that event?

SW: Our recent Candy Grams event, a brainchild of our Student Leadership Group, aimed to bring festivity to Valentine's Day while fostering unity among students and faculty. Participants wrote letters, poems, or sweet messages, receiving a goodie bag with candy and their message
delicately folded inside a miniature envelope. We offered to deliver the candy grams or allowed participants to take them home to share directly with their special someone. Despite it being our first time hosting this event, we had an amazing turnout and were grateful for the students and staff who participated, asked questions, and engaged in conversation.

AA: Why do you think events, such as Sister2Sister's candy grams, are important?

SW: Events like Candy Grams are crucial, providing students with a sense of connection and personal engagement with our program and the Bard Community. While smaller, these events reaffirm our program's mission and remind us to be grateful for the relationships and friendships we have. We always strive to cultivate community in every event we host, making candy grams important for their role in fostering connection.

AA: The candy grams profits went to a great cause. Can you expand on this?

SW: All proceeds from Candy Grams and future fundraisers, such as bake sales, will go towards scholarship money for our Kingston mentees graduating high school. Our goal is to raise at least $1,500 this year to support our mentees in their future endeavors after leaving high school. The Scholarship ceremony will take place on June 10th at Kingston High School, honoring our young sistas and their participation in our program.
Thank you for your continued support!

The Annandale Advocate thanks Skylar for the great interview. To stay updated on important announcements and events, follow Sister2Sister on Instagram and learn more on the organization’s website. 

Post Date: 04-05-2024