Oprah Winfrey Gives Support To Black Women Social Entrepreneurs

Newark, NJ

Camden Sophisticated Sisters, Tawanda Jones

At fifteen years old Tawanda Jones was already a single mom.  But, rather than become another statistic, she decided she was going to help break the cycle of teen pregnancies and gang violence in her Camden, New Jersey neighborhood.  So, that same year, she started an activity she believed would offer hope and keep her peers off the streets—a drill team organized and coached by her. Now, twenty-six years later, 4,000 children have gone through Jones’ Sophisticated Sisters drill team and drumline. Camden’s high school graduation rate is only 49%, but an astounding 100% of Jones’ children have graduated. To stay in the program, team members are required to perform 200 hours of community service a year and also maintain a C average. There are currently 223 kids in her program — with 214 on the wait list.