Washington, DC 2/6/2026 – As SisterMentors counts down to its 30th anniversary in 2027, its Founder, Dr. Shireen Lewis, will be honored by Cohort Sistas with their Living Legacy Award for her trailblazing work helping women of color to achieve their dream of higher education. The award will be presented in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2026.
This honor comes at a critical juncture for the nonprofit sector, which is facing unprecedented challenges. Dr. Lewis’s recognition underscores the vital, often underfunded, work of community organizations dedicated to building strong ecosystems for women of color in academia and beyond.
Cohort Sistas, a digital sanctuary for over 4,500 Black women and non-binary doctoral scholars, bestowed its highest honor on Dr. Lewis for her foundational role in proving that the path to advanced degrees must be walked in community, not isolation. Cohort Sistas noted that Dr. Lewis’s “trailblazing work… has laid the foundation for a generation of organizations like ours.”
“Receiving this award from Cohort Sistas, as we move toward celebrating 30 years and 100 women of color doctorates, makes my heart soar,” said Dr. Shireen Lewis. “It reaffirms that our model is not just highly successful but can be replicated to reach even more women of color facing deep systemic barriers as they work hard to fulfill their dream of higher education.”
To arrange an interview with Dr. Lewis or to explore partnership and funding opportunities, please contact Yessica Bonilla at ybonilla@sistermentors.org
Founded in 1997, SisterMentors is a program under the umbrella of EduSeed, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC. SisterMentors helps women and girls of color to earn higher education degrees. The program helps girls from low-income families prepare for college as early as elementary school and helps women of color to earn doctorates. For more information about SisterMentors, please visit: https://sistermentors.org/
