During the month of May, EBONY.com is celebrating sisterhood with our “Women Up! Black Women Rising” editorial series. While some of our most cherished relationships are with other women, there is a pervasive narrative that would have us believe that women don’t –and can’t–get along.  But with all of the negative images about Black women that we ingest daily through the media, we cannot afford to be fighting amongst ourselves or avoiding each other because we believe the hype and stereotypes about who we are. We will not make it long in this world–professionally or personally–without a strong network of women in our corner. So here are five ways you can start seeing women as sisters instead of adversaries.

1) Cheer women on. We have internalized the myth that a woman’s success or happiness somehow chips away at our own success or happiness. But it just isn’t so. If another woman gets a job opportunity you wanted, celebrate her, be inspired to keep aiming high, and continue to buck a system that teaches you that  only a few women get to succeed. Likewise, If the boyfriend in your head is having a real-life relationship with some other woman, congratulate that woman! (Ex., “Good for you, girlfriend of Idris Elba!”)

Because contrary to popular belief, dating is not a zero-sum game: just because you’re not with the man you may have wanted, it doesn’t mean your man has been taken from you. Thank God you’ve been spared from creating (or continuing) an unnecessary history with someone who was never intended to be for you. Release your clenched fists, open up your hands and patiently wait (and work) for what God specifically has for you.

2) Keep the peace. While you may understand that sisters shouldn’t fight, your sister may not have reached that point of introspection and maturity. She may be harboring jealousy against you, actively trying to embarrass you in public, and aiming to start drama with you so that you can feel about yourself the way she feels about herself. Don’t fall for it.  Especially in a work environment, deflect and defer every attempt to get you to act out of your character in public. Understand that your sister is struggling with something internal that has nothing to do with you and try your best to keep your cool in your dealings with her. For the sake of your own sanity, keep the peace with any woman you have to share space with regularly.

3) Give an ear, not advice.  People seek out advice when they want it, but most often, they just want to be heard. Provide the women in your life a safe place to vent their frustrations without fear of being gossiped about later. Offer them a space to be listened to and validated in their feelings. Unless they specifically ask for your advice, let your sisters just speak their truth to you in a corner of the world where judgment is suspended. That could be the greatest gift you could ever give them.

4) Pull your sister to the side. Though we all like to buy into the damaging “superwoman” ideal, women are humans and make bad calls in our personal and professional lives daily. When you see your sister messing up in a way that poorly reflects on you, your field, or even all of womanity, by all means, say something. But pull your sister to the side. There’s nothing empowering or enlightening about dragging your sister through the mud in the name of whatever cause you profess to be defending. That’s your sister making a mistake. That’s you down there screwing-up–in the past, present, or maybe even in the future. People respond better when they hear hard truths in a soft and loving way. When your sister knows you’re talking to her out of love, that will exponentially increase the chances that she’ll be receptive to what you have to say and will stop doing whatever wrong-headed thing she’s been doing.

5) Invest in Women. Maybe you’re not the jealous type and maybe you’re so focused on yourself and your ambitions that you don’t even notice what other women are doing with their lives and careers. It’s time to take notice. Pay attention to the struggling sisters coming behind you and support their efforts however you can, whether through words or deeds.  Mentor women who need mentoring, cry with them when they cry, celebrate with them when they celebrate, encourage them when they need encouragement, because no one knows how hard it is to be a woman in a man’s world like your sisters do. And no one can keep you like your sisters can.

Brooke Obie writes the award-winning Christian blog, DistrictDiva.com. Follow her on Twitter @BrookeObie.

Read more at EBONY http://www.ebony.com/wellness-empowerment/the-spiritual-life-5-ways-to-be-your-sisters-keeper-847#ixzz2TO46XKS1

The Union League Club of Chicago (ULCC) proudly welcomes to a special luncheon forum best-selling author and civil rights activist Michelle Alexander. This event is sponsored by ULCC Public Affairs and its Subcommittees on Race and the Administration of Justice.

A highly acclaimed civil rights lawyer, advocate, and legal scholar, Michelle Alexander holds a joint appointment at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity and the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University. Prior to joining the Institute, Professor Alexander was an associate professor of law at Stanford Law School, where she directed the Civil Rights Clinics.

Author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Prof. Alexander will discuss the topic of criminal justice policy and its impact upon the African-American community. Her book challenges the conventional wisdom that with the election of Barack Obama as president, our nation has “triumphed over race.” While Jim Crow laws were wiped off the books decades ago, Prof. Alexander argues that the disproportionate incarceration of African-American men, primarily through the War on Drugs, has created a new racial underclass – a group of people defined largely by race that is subject to legalized discrimination and social exclusion. She has challenged the civil rights community to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America.

The event begins at 11:00 a.m., where Prof. Alexander will sign copies of The New Jim Crow that will be available for purchase. Our program and luncheon starts at noon, and following Prof. Alexander’s address there will be a question-and-answer session with audience members. We will adjourn by approximately 1:30 p.m.

The cost of the luncheon is $40 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. Please note: The Union League Club of Chicago maintains a “business casual” dress code (i.e, no jeans/denim). Non-members of the Union League Club may register online for this program at http://michellealexander.eventbrite.com/

Washington D.C. area residents to join women from four other U.S. Cities and 22 countries for International  “Women Are Talking” Event

 WASHINGTON, D.C.  -  Good Living Enterprises and Recipes for Good Living Magazine, in cooperation with AT&T, will host the first ever interactive virtual global conversation scheduled for May 3, 2013 at 12 noon.  Begun over five years ago as a local gathering of women during the first weekend in May over tea events in the Washington, DC area, this annual event has developed into a global conversation that this year will include participants from 20 different countries (US, England, Croatia, Japan, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Kenya, India ,China,, Denmark, Brazil, France, Pakistan, Greece, Venezuela, Switzerland,, Mexico, Israel, Belgium, Northern Ireland and Italy) and five U.S. cities — Washington, D.C., New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago.

The global discussion will utilize tweet-ups, AT&T Telepresence Centers, and Face Book discussions.  Each discussion will be moderated simultaneously by women leaders.

Anyone can participate by logging into  www.facebook.com/womenaretalking or Twitter @watalking).

“This event will bring a million voices into one virtual room as an idea to focus the experiences and insights of women on issues of work, career, education, health, finance, family, relationships, personal development, and the law and public policy.   This year’s conversation will be the first to engage women around the world using the connectivity of AT&T’s leading-edge technology,” said Bonnie McDaniel founder of “Women Are Talking” and CEO of Good Living Enterprises.

The “Women Are Talking” virtual community web site is scheduled to launch in early summer.

CONTACT:  Bonnie McDaniel/Good Living Enterprises at (703) 593-2551 or Enid Doggett/VERGO Productions (202) 670-5734

For more information go to www.womenaretalking.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/womenaretalking

Twitter: www.twitter.com/watalking

FOR PRESS ONLY: Media only may attend the moderator site in Chicago at the AT & T Regional Headquarters, 2000 W. AT&T Center Drive, Hoffman Estates, IL. All media must RSVP NO LATER THAN MAY 1

ZuriWorks Founder, Andrene Taylor

Stylist, cancer survivor, and ZuriWorks founder Andrene Taylor seeks to educate and unite Black women by launching “Big Chop to Stop Cancer.” This national campaign encourages education about cancer and early detection, while owning a major statement among Black women by cutting their hair in solidarity with those who are battling cancer. Follow the link to learn more about “Big Chop to Stop Cancer:”

http://www.ebony.com/wellness-empowerment/big-chop-to-stop-cancer-campaign-launches-004#axzz2NXXFxQb2.

Angela Roseboro
Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer
Jones Lang LaSalle
Chicago, Ill.

“I hope that one day my job isn’t necessary,” Angela Roseboro, executive vice president and chief diversity officer at the commercial real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle, says in the recent issue of The Network Journal magazine, which names its 25 Most Influential Black Women of 2013. Get to know these women at http://www.tnj.com/25-Influential-black-women/2013.

Any business that expects to thrive knows that a good succession plan is key. With its announcement last month that Flowers Communications Group has named Rashada Whitehead Chief Executive Officer, the Chicago-based agency’s future is indeed bright.

As the firm’s president for the past two years, Whitehead, AGE, has helped position FCG for growth into the mid-sized market and as a leader in the next era of communications.

“We’ve worked diligently to position ourselves at the forefront of strategy and creativity, and are excited about what the future holds,” said Whitehead, who replaces D. Michelle Flowers Welch, also the firm’s founder.

A shared vision among leadership is also paramount to a good succession plan.

“For the past several years, I have been focused on building FCG’s legacy of excellence in the communications industry with a solid team to evolve the thought leadership, creativity and relevant multicultural insights that represent our brand,” said Welch.

With the succession, Whitehead has gained an equity stake in the company, whose major clients include McDonald’s, Sears Holding Corp and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.