We Asked These Women To Explain What Their Best Friends Mean To Them

“Your sisters are your cheerleaders, agony aunts, your supporters, the ones who are dragging you up and keeping you up.”

A major part of the appeal of Issa Rae’s history-making TV show Insecure is how lovingly she’s captured the beauty of black sisterhood – relationships that, for many, are an essential part of their lives.

The bond between the characters of Issa and Molly has resonated with the show’s primary audience, who see their own friendships reflected in an authentic way: friendships they rely on as they make their way through a world of microaggressions and blatant discrimination, and the love and laughter that lights that path.

It’s no surprise that films like Girls Trip that explore similar themes have cashed in at the box office this year. While these stories might be relatively new to the big and small screen, they are just another fact of life for black women.

With this in mind, BuzzFeed News spoke to four different groups of friends to find out what their besties mean to them.

Tash Anderson, 43, from London, and Cheinah Sutherland, 42, from Essex

When Tash and Cheinah were introduced by Cheinah’s younger brother 21 years ago, there was an immediate connection. “When we met we just instantly bonded,” Tash says, adding that maintaining a strong friendship requires effort on both sides.

“Friendships are something which you have to nurture,” she says. “With some people it’s easier to do with than others. Some friends I haven’t spoke to in ages but when do I speak to them it only feels like I spoke to them yesterday. That for me is what proper friendship is, and that’s what I have with Cheinah. I know if I were to call on Cheinah she would be there, without a doubt.”

And it’s totally reciprocal, Cheinah says. She recalls a time when Tash was there for her when she went through a difficult divorce: “I was with my husband when I was 17 years old and we had been together for a while – during our relationship I was on the verge of a breakdown.

“The amount of times Tash has come and sat with me and been on the phone with me, it’s exactly what you need when you’re going through a bad time in your life.”

Among the many things Tash admires about her best friend is her resilience. “Oh god, there’s so many things I love about Cheinah,” she says. “I love the fact no matter what life throws at her, she always picks herself up and carry on. I love how she has raised her children to be amazing men and women.”

But the best thing about friendship is that a good friend and good times go hand-in-hand. Asked about their favourite shared memory, they both laugh. “We don’t need Girls Trip,” Tash …

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