Celebrating Black History Month: Sistah Friends

2.27.2023 — LISC StoriesSafety & Justice

We caught up with Yolanda Whittington and Trisonda Marbury – founder and CEO and senior outreach coordinator, respectively – of Sistah Friends, a non-profit dedicated to promoting sustained mental health in the lives of Black women. Trisonda, who grew up in South Los Angeles, and Yolanda, who has lived in Los Angeles for the last 37 years, are deeply connected to the South Los Angeles community that they serve.

Sistah Friends began as a circle of women that created a safe space to come together, and evolved into an organization, as past traumas and the need for mental health support emerged. In addition to the societal stigma around mental illness and difficulty in finding treatment, Black women face other barriers like a lack of culturally sensitive care, financial concerns, and other stresses that prevent or deter them from seeking help. Today, Sistah Friends is one of the only service delivery agencies in California focused on serving the mental health of Black women. They provide case management, health education, counseling, in-home health, reentry support, and mental health services for the South Los Angeles community.

Sistah Friends participated in LISC LA’s Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) Incubation Academy, an initiative of LA County’s Justice Care and Opportunities Department, designed to train, support, and provide technical assistance to community-based organizations that serve vulnerable justice-impacted people and communities. Its goal is to increase the network of providers serving justice-impacted individuals who come from similar experiences and communities. The year-long academy prepares organizations in areas such as fiscal management, contract compliance, and program reporting to expand the capacity of service providers in Los Angeles County.

Through the academy, Yolanda has already learned how to manage her organization’s financial structure, corporate governance, strategic plan, and grant writing. She is excited to take the skills that she’s learning and pursue grant opportunities that will help meet the highest needs of the reentry population. This includes expanding on the critical work to support persons fleeing from sex work and sex trafficking.

“ATI has helped Sistah Friends move lightyears ahead of where we were. The expertise captured everything that an up-and-coming organization would need to have a profound impact on the community. I learned so much from the program and cohort members,” said Yolanda.

Learn more about the Alternatives to Incarceration Incubation Academy at https://www.lisc.org/la-incubation-academy/.

Celebrating Black History Month: Sistah Friends

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