Sister2Sister, a club focused on ensuring the identity of women in marginalized communities is acknowledged, launched this semester. 

Jamiah Cotton, a sophomore international business major, is the president and founder of Sister2Sister. She said the club is rooted in family and sisterhood.

Cotton said she originally had the idea for the club in March and got it off the ground this semester. 

“I wanted a place where we don’t have to shrink ourselves, code switch, defend our experiences or feel like we’re the only one in the room,” Cotton said. “I wanted women to know that their culture is beautiful, their identity is valid and their voice deserves to be heard.” 

She said her driving force in creating the club was to shed light on women who are often overlooked. 

“We celebrate who we are fully, loudly and together,” Cotton said. 

Mia Corcino, a junior public health major and treasurer for the club, wrote in an email that although every executive member played a role, Cotton spearheaded the creation of Sister2Sister. 

“Jamiah had brought up the idea of creating a club centered around culture and inclusion,” Corcino wrote. “Her words deeply resonated with me and I loved the message for the club.”

Corcino wrote that the club wanted to create a community without exclusion or judgment. 

Shaquana Suggs is a full-time staff member at the Disco Student Learning Center, an educational leadership graduate student and advises the club. 

“I believe it all boils down to tea quite literally,” Suggs said. “So, we foster the kind of connections that would happen over, say, a cup of coffee or tea.” 

“It can go for us saying community service, or it can just be us as women doing stuff as a community, as us being like a part of sisterhood where we do things together,” Suggs said. 

Meeting together and hosting events is a prominent way of incorporating community building for Sister2Sister. 

Both Suggs and Cotton mentioned their first annual tea party, which was hosted on Oct. 24. At the event, they had multiple teas from different parts of the world. 

Suggs listed off events the club seeks to host, including showings, book readings and anything that could happen in a coffee shop or at a game night. 

Suggs and Cotton both said other events will involve community service, volunteering and giving back to the local community. 

Corcino wrote that their events are heavily centered around introducing other cultures as well as learning from them, saying they try to integrate this into every event. 

Suggs said the tea party was significant to the club’s value of global culture, acknowledgement and literacy, along with open-mindedness, something Corcino echoed. 

Cotton said she is confident about the club’s impact on App State and hopes it can reach beyond campus and eventually across the country. 

Suggs said she wants Sister2Sister to encourage all clubs on campus to collaborate and connect, reminding others that inclusivity and community are important for everyone at App State. 

“So, a lesson from our book is like, you know, treat it like the Mountaineer family that we are,” Suggs said. 

Cotton said that she thinks this club will have a lasting impact because sisterhood is stronger than anything. 

“I just want there to be a safe space for just all women in general because I do know it’s hard out here now,” Cotton said.