Why We Still Need Sister Circles in 2025

For generations, Black women have built our own circles of support. From church basements to beauty salons to late-night kitchen tables, we’ve always known the power of gathering together, telling our stories, and holding each other up. These sister circles were never just “hangouts”, they were lifelines.

But even now, in 2025, the stigma around women coming together hasn’t gone away. Too often, spaces for women are labeled as cliquish, messy, or unnecessary. And too often, Black women are told we can’t get along, that we’re always in competition with one another. That myth is tired, and it’s harmful. The truth is, sisterhood is survival.

Research backs it up. A 2022 report from the American Psychological Association found that Black women are disproportionately impacted by stress, juggling careers, caregiving, and the weight of societal pressures. And studies show that women with strong social connections live longer, healthier lives. Our circles literally keep us alive.

That’s why I created Women for the Culture, because I know what it feels like to need that space. I know what it’s like to feel alone while carrying everything, and I know the transformation that happens when you sit in a room with women who see you, affirm you, and push you toward your best self.

But let’s also be real: not every sister circle is healthy. Sometimes you outgrow a group. Sometimes a space that started with love shifts into something that drains you. And that’s okay. You’re allowed to disconnect. Protecting your peace doesn’t mean you don’t value sisterhood, it means you understand that real sisterhood should heal, not harm.

The evolution of sister circles in 2025 looks different than our mothers’ and grandmothers’. Today, they show up in group chats, virtual platforms, online communities, and of course, Instagram timelines. But at the core, the mission hasn’t changed: connection, support, accountability, and love.

So yes, we still need sister circles. But we need them healthy. We need them rooted in truth, not comparison. In care, not competition. In building each other up, not breaking each other down.

Because when Black women come together with intention, we create magic. And that circle, whether it’s two women or twenty, is how we keep moving forward, together.

So let’s end the stigma. Let’s honor the power of sisterhood, while also giving ourselves permission to walk away from what doesn’t serve us. Because the circle may shift, but it will never be broken.