Building Communities Online

By: Melissa Henderson

To navigate the online space is like choosing designer clothes from the Goodwill. You have to bypass the trash to get to the good stuff and that’s basically how the internet has become. A pile of trash with a few diamonds in the rough. It’s no wonder that private communities on Facebook, Youtube and TikTok are mobilizing, motivating and puting women and non-binary POC on game. Building long lasting relationships as an adult is becoming easier if you’re open to it. Groups like Black Girls Therapy on Facebook easily have over 50k members and provide a safe space to share personal traumas, inquiries and concerns about life, love and careers. It’s operating under the assumption that plenty of people have been in your place, why waste money on trying to do it yourself with little guidance. I met Alexandria Butler in another online group, but we really connected through her online Facebook group called “Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech,” a space that unites black women in the tech industry and provides fellowship to other women who are either transitioning into tech careers or wish to do so. I’ve watched it grow from 50 members to now over 5,000 members in the last two years Go inside our interviews with three of our favorite online and in- person all female led communities.

VSZ: What made you create the Sista Circle Facebook group? Alexandria Butler: Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech started in my Oakland apartment in April 2017. I have been in the tech industry my whole adult career and never had a group of Black women of all ages to support me as a professional. I initially started the group to build relationships with some Black women who could help me navigate my career. But I realized very quickly that this group could be something so much more. As the group increased, so did my mission. It was no longer just about people building relationships. It became apparent that tech companies needed to know that we exist and needed to create a space for us to be ourselves. Therefore, I started partnering with tech companies to produce events that catered to the needs of the women in the group such as negotiation tips, brand building and mentorship. Also, our collective power as tech industry professionals is transformative. I made it my mission to partner with Black owned business for our event vendors and we produce an annual holiday gift guide highlighting Black owned businesses throughout the world! It is important that while we support each other in tech, we also find ways to support the greater Black community.

VSZ: So funny because my sister told me about this group like it was a secret she didn’t want to let anyone in on her newfound resource for jobs! LOL I was like, yes I know this group. With that being said, can you share any success stories. AB: Job Opportunities: We have many people in the group who ask for job referrals at tech companies and advice on how to succeed in a particular interview. We also have many people receiving job offers because of connections in the group. One specific example involves a content writer from New York. She wrote in the group that she was very interested in an opportunity at Facebook in her field. We have someone in the group that specifically works in that department at Facebook. She referred her to the job and spent some time with her on the phone to give her an understanding of the team culture. Fast forward - she received the offer and started working at Facebook! Both women are now real life friends.

Travel: Many members of our group travel for work to different countries. Often times, they will ask if anyone lives in the area or has connections in the area so the travelers do not have to eat alone for dinner. On numerous occasions, sistas will post selfies in the group of women they have met in different countries. I went to London for work in May 2018 and asked if anyone in the group was available for dinner during my trip. I met with almost 15 women that week for different meals and tea time. It was amazing. Some of these women have become dear friends of mine.

Black women are magical and there is something about us that attracts the best parts of each other. Sista Circle is a great example of this. Regardless of the question or

concern, these women pour into each other even though they may not know each other personally. It is an honor and a true privilege just to watch Black women be their greatest self in a safe environment.

VSZ: What are your community guidelines to participating in your group? AB: Our community guidelines are based on the principles of sisterhood, compassion, respect and trust. Therefore, all of our rules in regards to content and postings funnel into these areas. In order for the group to be successful, all members are receiving information and providing information- job opportunities, tips and tricks, mommy advice, relationship advice, food recipes, the list is endless. But Sista Circle does not work unless all members are ready to give and receive. Secondly, we are a safe space. Anything that is shared in the group stays in the group. All of our flagship experiences are not recorded for that reason. We want our speakers to be as candid as they need to be in providing career and personal advice. In order for them to trust us, we do not record our in person conversations. Thirdly, this is not a self promotion group. We want to celebrate your accomplishments and enjoy learning about your new opportunities. But we do not share weekly content from content creators as this is considered spam. There are many members in the group who are content creators and we are in the process of developing a "Content Creator's Database". All of our members will have access to our content creators and can review information about each creator.

VSZ: Women in this group feel comfortable and safe enough to be vulnerable and that’s huge for POC in “public spaces.” What are some self-care tips for women woking in the tech space? SB: Self care, regardless of what industry, is a very personal experience and I do think that often times we try to generalize it for everyone. To me, self care is participating in activities that make me feel good which include nail appointments, having a deep conversation with my fiancé, chatting with my mom during my commute to work, dinner with friends, and walking my dog. I am also very aware that one of the reasons why Sista Circle is so transformative is that it is part of my self care routine and the self care routine of our Creative Director, Isa Cespedes. Isa pours her soul into the development of our experiences and her creativity is what makes our in person experiences so innovative and transformative Isa's creativity in event production is part of her self care routine and is her career speciality. Sometimes these things go hand in hand. Building Sista Circle and watching these real friendships form from this online community is part of my self care. The best thing to do this in the tech industry is to prioritize self care in your life. Tech has a way of taking over every moment. Tech employees could easily spend their whole weekend working on our laptops. To carve out specific time to do whatever you want is radical self care in my industry. The hardest part is not only scheduling that time but also creating hard boundaries around that time. If you can find the time and commit to it, then you have the flexibility and the control to decide what to do whatever you want. I am a strong believer that a happy and satisfied Black woman is a true revolutionary act.