S.O.U.L Sisters supported youth that have “lived and breathed” the inequalities of our legal, educational, and economic systems. We dissolved our organization in December of 2022. To learn more about our sunet, please read our Letter to Community.

Our Mission

S.O.U.L (Sisters Organizing for Understanding & Leadership) Sisters Leadership Collective (SSLC) is comprised of youth workers, educators, healers, artists, and organizers who create leadership opportunities for Black and Brown girls and femmes impacted by the justice system. We disrupt cycles of violence by empowering youth who have experienced multitudes of criminalization using our four pillars: collective leadership, radical artistic expression, healing, and restorative justice. Since our founding in August of 2014 in Miami and NYC, we continue to build a world in which young women, femmes, and TGNC youth reclaim lives of authenticity, joy, and freedom.

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Our Definition of “Sister” and “Femme

S.O.U.L. Sisters welcomes all folks who identify with femininity, womanhood, and girlhood. Our definition of ‘sisters,’ ‘girls,’ and ‘femmes’ is gender-expansive! We include our community members who may identify as cisgender, transgender, gender non-conforming, and/or nonbinary. We absolutely affirm and uplift our trans sisters when we say girls, young women, and ladies. We are trans-inclusive and will continue to build so that we can remain firmly rooted in this politic not only on staff but also in the communities we serve.

Why Do We Focus on Girls and Femmes?

None of us are free until all of us are free. We have found that many of the conversations around abolition, prison reform, and ending the school-to-prison pipeline center on men’s issues. When those of us who are the least protected are safe, we also secure the safety of all those around us. Girls, young women, and gender non conforming youth face a variety of unique barriers to receiving access to support networks, and we organize in support of closing those gaps in service of our collective liberation. Black and Brown Queer and Trans youth are uniquely marginalized groups impacted the most in the world due to the unique intersections of harm they must overcome, frequently facing not only gender-based violence, but sexual orientation discrimination, racism, poverty, lack of familial support, school pushout and ageism. We aim to build up youth so that their leadership skills, self-esteem, and ability to heal supports them into their journey to adulthood and beyond. By doing this, our communities will embody the liberated and just future we dream of seed by seed. 

Our Vision

We envision a world in which girls, young women, femmes, and TGNC youth of color reclaim lives of authenticity, joy, and freedom through restorative justice, collective leadership, creative expression, and radical abolitionist healing.

Dissolution

S.O.U.L. Sister’s Leadership Collective sunsetted the organization in December of 2022. S.O.U.L. Sisters was officially founded in Miami and New York City (NYC) by our co-founding Youth Leaders Board (YLB) members logan meza, Andralique Byrdsong, Jazandrea Byrdsong, Keisha Campbell, Jazzline Vergara, Joy Morin, Danelvi Rosario, Hannah Matias, Tenisha Hope, Hawa Adula, Silvia Albarracin, Savannah Reid, Catrina Wiltshire, Victoria Byfield, and adult co-founders Tanisha “Wakumi” Douglas and Caitlin Gibb. 

To take a look back through our archives at what we have accomplished over the years in service of our goal, take a look at Our History