UC Arts & Sciences Cohosts Sister Accord Event
The University of Cincinnati’s College of Arts & Sciences will co-host a health and wellness event to celebrate Sister Accord® Day on August 31.
Date: 8/28/2017 12:00:00 PM
By: Jonathan Goolsby
Photos by Sister Accord LLC.
Contact: Carol Tonge Mack
Assistant Dean of Retention, College of Arts and Sciences
carol.tongemack@uc.edu
Julie Campbell-Holmes
Director, Marketing and Communications, College of Arts & Sciences.
campb3ji@ucmail.uc.edu
CINCINNATI, Oh. — The University of Cincinnati’s College of Arts & Sciences will co-host a health and wellness event to celebrate Sister Accord® Day on Thursday, August 31, 2017, from 12 – 1:30 pm, in the Campus Recreation Center.
The Sister Accord, by Sonia Jackson Myles
The Sister Accord® Resolution is a pledge for women — the central tenet of P&G executive-turned-author Sonia Jackson Myles’ book The Sister Accord: 51 Ways to LOVE Your Sister, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 2013.
Over the course of her 20-year career, Myles said, one of the most difficult challenges she noticed professional women attempting to overcome was negative social signaling amongst each other.
“There are so many messages and experiences that cause [women] to doubt our capabilities,” she rationalized. “I implement many of the strategies I used as I was developing as a corporate leader [because] I knew that they would work well in a variety of environments.”
The Sister Accord® Resolution seeks to empower signatory women and girls by creating bonds between them that transcend socioeconomic strata, race, or other superficial differences and, in so doing, break the cycle of negative reinforcement.
Sonia Jackson Myles
"In my experience and research, girls are socialized not to like each other. We are always compared to each other and it causes tension,” Myles observed. “The Sister Accord® reverses that mentality and gives people tools and ways to love, respect and support each other.”
“It takes a great deal of intentionality to consistently have healthy and positive interactions with other women,” she said. “When people read and agree to live the principles of The Sister Accord® Resolution, they tell me that they see themselves in a more positive way and that, in turn, helps them to interact more positively with others.”
“This is truly the best way to begin the academic year,” said Carol Tonge Mack, assistant dean for retention in the UC College of Arts & Sciences. “I met Sonia Jackson Myles at a previous event, and I was impressed with her passion and commitment. It was an honor to help her bring this event to campus. The purpose of Sister Accord Day aligns well with our college mission, which includes caring for our community, and teaching members of the community to care for themselves.”
UC’s Sister Accord® Day event will include discussions about health and wellness. Iris T. London, of ITL Fitness, will lead participants in group exercise and teach them the “Sister Accord® Slide.”
“One of the ‘51 Ways to LOVE Your Sister’ in my book is ‘Live a Healthy Lifestyle and Remind Her to Focus on Her Health, too,’" Myles explained. “Health and wellness is a very important aspect of self-love and self-care. I wanted to focus on this for Sister Accord® Day 2017.”
The event is free and open to the public. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable gym attire.
WHAT: Sister Accord® Day, co-hosted by the UC College of Arts & Sciences, the Sister Accord® Foundation and ITL Fitness
WHEN: Thursday, August 31, 2017, 12-1:30 pm
WHERE: Campus Recreation Center, Main Campus, University of Cincinnati
COST: Free. Open to the public. Gym attire recommended.