Posts tagged "Sisterhood of The Traveling Heart"

Meet Sisterhood of the Traveling Heart!

“Beauty and confidence is defined by one’s perception of self, not that of others.”

-Kamelah Muhammad, Founder & President of Sisterhood of the Traveling Heart

The most powerful gift we can give is unlocking the potential in another individual. Kamelah Muhammad is doing just this as she’s paving the road for others while walking in her purpose! Seeing the negative impact that traditional and social media was having on the self-esteem of teen girls and women around the world, Sisterhood of the Traveling Heart, Inc. (SOTTH) was born. Founded in Brooklyn, New York on November 22, 2014, SOTTH’s founder, Kamelah Muhammad, wanted to create an atmosphere where teen girls and women came together in an effort to bond and hold each other accountable for uplifting one another. This is accomplished by motivating through life’s stories and promoting self-worth.  We create programs and experiences of empowerment.

Every teen girl and woman should be the definition of BEAUTY and the definition of CONFIDENT. We encourage each person to create and represent what beauty and confidence means to them. SOTTH, Inc. is about sharing a journey from woman to woman, state to state, country to country.

Let’s get to know Sisterhood of the Traveling Heart a little better…

Women in Need NYC PEACHY Experience

Sisterhood of the Traveling Heart, Inc. empowers teen girls by motivating through life’s stories and promoting self-worth, what made you launch this powerful organization?

I honestly wanted to make young girls and women feel good about themselves and to be comfortable in their skin. It’s pretty tough to think of yourself as beautiful especially being a woman of color when the media doesn’t promote your blackness as beautiful or important. Therefore, I saw a huge need. Our mission is to promote just that, beauty and confidence. I wanted to create an opportunity for women to come together, bond, laugh, share experiences and uplift one another. Our logo represents that. It is a
variation of different sizes and shades of peach to represent different women coming together and connecting. The color peach represents courage, elegance and immortality and these are the attributes that I wanted every young girl and woman to embody.

Being a voice in the community motivates others to be great, what type of events and courses does Sisterhood of the Traveling Heart host?

I always like to say that our events aren’t just events, we call them experiences! Our current experiences allow for bonding through authentic, fun and uplifting activities. For instance, during our Sisterhood PEACHY Experience, attendees are encouraged to unleash their inner confidence through dance during our choreography component, get wardrobe advice from our fashion consultants while shopping through free items, learn about the cosmetic industry while getting free makeovers and make vision boards that speaks to their future. We cater the activities to the wishes of the organization we work
with. We also host prom-themed experiences as well as back to school focused events. Our workshops allow for more in depth discussions around lifestyle improvement and empowerment. These workshops more so focus on etiquette, educational and professional development. We are happy with what we have accomplished thus far and are looking to grow and improve one step at a time.

COREMAG3 - MARCUS CHARLES

We tend to pull characteristics from others in our lives or from people we admire, who inspires you and why?

My mother, Darlene Pierre-Muhammad! I honestly don’t know what I would do without her. As I’ve grown older, she really has become my best friend. It really doesn’t click when we are younger but everything she told me then makes so much sense now and I am happy our relationship has grown to where it is today. I talk to her pretty much every day. I’ll even call her at work and say “Hey mom! What are you doing” and she’ll respond “Work, girl!” I always laugh (lol) and then if she can spare a few minutes to talk,
she always does. She is the true definition of a strong woman and I always pray that I will be half the woman, half the wife, and half the mother that she is. She has shown me patience and compassion. Through her, I have learned what sacrifice and being a blessing to others really means. She is extremely supportive and for that I am forever thankful to God.

If you had to give one piece of advice to teen girls who are struggling with being comfortable in their own skin, what would it be?

I would let them know that God doesn’t make any mistakes. It’s important for all girls to know that. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I want girls to understand that beauty comes in all colors, shapes and sizes. I encourage girls to say words of affirmation on a daily basis to boost their confidence and to know that they don’t have to look like the girl on TV in which media is promoting as the standard of “beauty.” You are beautiful just the way you are. We must do better as a society to make sure our young girls understand their worth and value themselves.

Teen Living Programs Back to School Block PartyL

Working with youth both parties learn from each other, what’s one trait you have learned from working with girls?

Resilience. I must say that after interacting with the young ladies that I’ve had the pleasure of working with, I’ve learned that the trials I have had to overcome in life has been so minuscule compared to what these girls deal with on a day-to-day basis. One of the moments that really stuck with me is at an event we were hosting, every purse in our ‘store’ area had been claimed by other attendees. A young lady – about age 13 – who I had been interacting with throughout the day came to me and asked if we had
anymore long strapped purses such as the one I was wearing. It was tough having to tell her all the purses had been claimed but I then told her I had a special one for her. I proceed to empty my purse (which was a favorite) and put it around her. She gave me THE biggest smile and hug. My eyes watered. From there, instead of creating a vision board for herself, she created a thank you board for all the volunteers. I am getting choked up reflecting on this. It’s those moments which makes me know that I am truly walking in my purpose. It has been such a humbling journey since I’ve launched this organization. These girls are so strong-willed. It makes me happy knowing that even if for two hours, my volunteers and I can create a moment in time where they don’t have to have a care in the world. Our goal is to create an escape and true girlfriend-like bonding experiences. I love seeing them smile and having a good time!

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We’re all about empowerment at C.O.R.E Mag, what does EMPOWERMENT mean to you + your organization?

To empower others means allowing your personal journey through life be another person’s inspiration and motivation. Empowering another means to allow some vulnerability and openness. It means having the courage to share experiences, good or bad, in hopes of inspiring the person who is on the receiving end to overcome and to trust their own process. To empower oneself means to take control of your life.

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Fun Faves! Song? Food? Artist? Celeb Crush?

Song – Literally every song is my JAM so it’s hard to narrow down but I am such a fan of 90s R&B

Food – Fish Tacos, French Fries & Cookies

Artist – (Current Artist) Drake

Celeb Crush – Michael B. Jordan

Check out more here!

Sisterhood Of The Traveling Hearts

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