1. An African-American woman, especially one who strives to better the lives of other African-Americans. It makes me proud, after so many years of pushing for greater representation in leadership, that a soul sister has finally been elected to our state congress.

2. A woman with whom one shares an intense, intimate, emotional connection. Janet has always been a soul sister to me, and over the course of our 20-year friendship, I feel like I've gotten to know her better than anyone else. When I got my first acting gig at 18, I was just a scared, cocky kid. I connected with Sarah on set, and she became my soul sister, taking me under her wing and teaching me what it meant to be a woman.