I’ve been working on a new skill / I can metamorphosize into any character you want me to be

I’ve been taking my work very seriously / I practice my smile each and every day / I smile / And Cheese / And Grin / Until dimples are etched into my cheeks

Sometimes / When I’m really in the zone / I push myself a little too hard / I smile and / the cracks in my / perfect porcelain facade / start to chip away / Revealing the darkness within

Don’t you worry / I take every preventative measure I can to keep it in check

I’ll cut off and store away each and every part of me that makes you uncomfortable

Every part that makes you cringe / Or flinch / Or want to run / Or hide / Or scream

I’ll be the perfect little toy / I’ll do tricks and flips when you ask and / Stay quiet when you demand

So, / What character would you like me to be today?

– “Puppet,” by Omicron Xi Chi and Sisters’ member, Darlene Miallie, sophomore kinesiology major from Fort Worth.

Feeling unseen and unaccepted at the hand of a puppeteer, some women of color at ACU cling to sisterhood for safety.

ACU is a predominantly white institution. Over half of the student population is white. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion reports that 14% of the student population is Black. 

“A lot of times, in going to a larger PWI, it can feel that you don’t always have a safe space to be yourself,” said Allysa Wiley, freshman psychology major from Houston.

Wiley perused the booths set up during Wildcat Week in search of diversity programs when she was introduced to ACU’s sisterhood of minority women.

“Creating that safe space for people just to breathe and be themselves is really really crucial, and it’s something that I consistently always feel with Sisters,” she said.

Sisters is a student organization founded in 2013 as a support group for minority women by minority women. While sorority Omicron Xi Chi was created in 2022 with a similar mission of creating spaces for minority women within Greek Life, Sisters is its own unique group open to everyone. 

“Our mission is to really just have a safe space for women to come and feel okay,” said Sisters’ president Aubrey Taylor, junior psychology major from Lovington, New Mexico. 

To further this mission, Sisters is increasing its campus presence through events. Wiley, once a prospective member, is now working alongside Taylor as the club’s event coordinator. This semester Sisters organized a flower pot painting party, a photoshoot, a Black hair celebration and movie nights in conjunction with its chapels, Bible studies and study groups.

“We’re really just focusing on reaching out more to freshmen, making sure that they know that there’s a space for them because coming to a PWI is definitely different for women of color,” Taylor said.

Taylor considers the experience of coming to a PWI as a form of “culture shock.” Sisters’ sponsor Dr. Ramonica Scott, emergent experience coordinator and assistant professor in the department of kinesiology and nutrition, said this is the heart of the issue minority women face. 

“I think what it means to have a safe space is to have a group of people around you who understand some of the things that they may experience throughout the day,” Scott said. “So, it’s not about just race or ethnicity. It’s about culture.”

Scott said being able to tell friends ‘I’m going to two-strand twist my hair’ without needing to explain is a refreshing break from the norm of constant clarification. These cultural discrepancies, however minor, are capable of isolating students. Scott said it’s important for white students to know about Sisters so they can direct any struggling friends of color toward “a piece of their culture.”

While Sisters is focused on fostering Black culture, Wiley said “anybody who’s wanting to join in fellowship and community” is welcome.

“We’re just here to love on you and support you as we can as minority women,” Wiley said.

With open arms and a loving mission in mind, the women of Sisters cut the strings of the puppet. Minority women of ACU may come together and truly smile and cheese and grin as they are wholly themselves in sisterhood.