Building Trust, Creating Power: The Sacred Work of Sisterhood

Kenya Dunn
Sep 2
3 min read

I often reflect on the first time I publicly told a room full of women of color leaders about the work God had placed in my heart…the POWER Tribe. It was a Saturday morning. These women gathered to hear about this new endeavor. What they didn’t know was that I was going to ask them to join me.

After the breaking of bread, great conversation, and my presentation about the POWER Tribe, I opened the floor for questions. One question — asked by a sister but echoed in the nods and the tightness of many others’ chests — has stayed with me ever since:

“How do you ensure that there is a level of trust in the POWER Tribe?”

She went on to share that she had been part of other women’s groups where trust had been broken. I felt prepared to answer. As a culture expert, I know agreements are essential to creating safety in groups. That’s why every POWER Tribe member reads our core values and signs the Integrity Pledge committing to uphold them.

That was nearly five years ago. And what I’ve learned since then goes far beyond any set of core values or a pledge.

I’ve carried her question with me in my reflection box, and I revisit it often.

Over the past four years, the POWER Tribe has taught me so much about the essence of what she was really asking:

How do you create safety for all in sisterhood and community especially when things get rocky?

It fuels me to witness the women of the POWER Tribe show up for one another’s events, ambitions, and life milestones. When we create a safe space to see and be seen, to be heard and to listen in equal measure, to love and be loved simply because we are worthy there is nothing more life-giving.

As the leader of this group, I’ve had a front-row seat to what happens when sisterhood lives in community. Before POWER Tribe, I had little experience with women’s organizations outside of professional convenings and networking. But what I’ve learned is this:

When sisterhood in community is done well, it propels its members further, faster. It raises the IQ of the collective when diverse lived experiences converge in a loving atmosphere. It heals. It shapes identities that fortify us when we find ourselves in unfamiliar or unwelcoming spaces.

I’ve also witnessed the shadow side. The challenges that surface when past wounds shape how we show up. The tension that arises with conflict or discomfort. The reality that not every lesson is meant to be learned in community — some must be faced in solitude.

All of it has been a fascinating, humbling experience. Lately, I’ve been pondering even more deeply the connection between what I’ve created, a community centered on the experiences of women of color in leadership, and the broader work of collective healing for our communities and our world.

I believe women of color need intentional spaces designed for us to be fully, authentically ourselves. Not as permission to be reckless, but as an invitation to honor who we are and how we grow. It reminds me of the turquoise in the POWER Tribe logo, a color that symbolizes healing. That’s what happens inside the Tribe: we break generational curses and release limited thinking.

And so I’ve declared: September is for Sisterhood.

This month, I’ll be exploring the beauty, the power, and the challenges of sisterhood — from the roles we play for one another, to the growth it fuels, to the ways we heal together. This is our time to reflect, celebrate, and elevate what it means to walk in sisterhood.

I would love to know: What has your experience with sisterhood in community been like? Reply to this email, or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn to join the conversation.

To kick off the month, I want to leave you with a prayer and an affirmation:

Prayer

May we honor one another’s brilliance without fear.

May we hold space for each other’s healing and growth.

May we be gentle with our words, generous with our love, and bold in our belief in one another.

May this sisterhood remind us we are never alone.

Affirmation I am my sister’s keeper, and she is mine.