'Sister, Sister': 8 Sisters We Celebrate For National Siblings Day

National Siblings Day, a holiday celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters, is on April 10th. In honor of the day, we’re spotlighting some of our favorite Black celebrity sisters whose work has made an impact over the years. Here are eight sets of sisters who have made their mark in music, sports, and/or on screen.

1. The Braxton Sisters

Many people fell in love with Toni Braxton, 57, (and her pixie cut) in the ’90s. She embedded her unique and elegant vocals into infamous tracks like “Unbreak My Heart” and “Breathe Again.” In the 2000s, she stepped into her pop era giving fans everlasting hits like “He Wasn’t Man Enough For Me.” 

But in 2011, Toni’s younger fans, or ones that didn’t know her background, would soon learn she wasn’t the only talented Braxton in her family. In her family’s reality TV show, The Braxton Family Values, viewers were introduced to her four sisters. Traci, who passed away at age 50, Towanda, 51, Trina, 50 and Tamar, 48, and Toni all sang together while growing up in Maryland. They were even signed as a group in 1989 before Toni went solo. 

After they disbanded, Tamar also had a music career of her own. She has five studio albums and released her first in 2000. However, she really began to capture attention when she released Love and War in 2013. 

While their former reality show ended in 2020, their new reality show, The Braxtons, debuted in 2024. The first season has already aired, and the release date for the second has yet to be revealed. 

2. Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen

Phylicia Rashad is a 76-year-old Houston, Texas, native who played the respectable mother and wife in the popular Black sitcom The Cosby Show. It ran for eight seasons, and in that time, Phylicia completely owned the role of Clair Huxtable. Her beloved character was a successful lawyer married to a doctor with whom she shared five children. 

In 2004, she became the first Black actress to win the Best Actress category at the Tony Awards. This was for her role in the play A Raisin in the Sun. She’s also a six-time Emmy award nominee. Additionally, Phylicia was cast in the film Steel Magnolias and the heartfelt TV series This Is Us.

As for Debbie Allen, she is best known for starring in the 1980s series Fame. Her role earned her a Golden Globe award in 1983. She also won three Emmys in Choreography for the series. Debbie lent her talents on stage as well. She was cast in the Broadway musical West Side Story revival in 1980. But her career extends beyond the screen and the stage. She’s also a choreographer who has been recognized for choreographing the Academy Awards 10 times. 

Debbie, who is 75, has even worn the hat of director. She’s directed shows like Empire, Scandal, How To Get Away with Murder, and Insecure.

3. Malia and Sasha Obama

Following the end of their father Barack Obama’s presidency in 2017, Sasha and Malia Obama have maintained relatively low profiles. They don’t have public social media accounts, and they very rarely give interviews. 

But what is known is that 26-year-old Malia, has gotten herself involved with film. She made her TV writing debut in 2023 for the release of Amazon Prime’s Swarm. Following that, she became a writer and director of the short film The Heart. She writes under the name Malia Ann. Previous to that she worked as a production assistant on Halle Berry’s Extant series

As for Sasha, 23, it’s unclear what her occupation is. But in 2023, she graduated with a sociology degree from the University of Southern California. Earlier this year, she was spotted in Everett Park, in California, crocheting by herself. But without social media or interviews, it’s hard to say if Sasha has been putting her degree to good use or if she’s found another career path. 

4. Simone & Adria Biles

Simone Biles’ name began to simmer when she was just 16 years old. During an international competition, the 28-year-old was the first to do a double layout and half twist. That was one of the first of several titles she would secure over the next several years. She’s been crowned as the most decorated gymnast in World Championship history. She’s collected 30 awards overall and 23 of them were gold. As for Olympic medals, she has seven gold, two silver, and two bronze. In 2024, She also became the first to win the all-around final more than once. 

Adria, 26, followed in her big sister’s footsteps into the sport of gymnastics when she was a child. She started around age 9 and was an elite gymnast before giving it up a decade later in 2016. In 2021, she joined the MLB Houston Astros’ professional dance team, the Shooting Stars. She stayed for one season, according to Marie Claire. Then, she joined season one of ABC’s competition series Claim to Fame in 2022. Relatives of celebrities have to conceal their identity and win $100,000 if other contestants don’t guess who they are. But she was discovered about halfway through the series and was the seventh contestant to be kicked off.

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5. Tia and Tamera Mowry

Tia and Tamera Mowry are 46, and will be 47 come this July. The twin sisters grew a heavy fan base from their ’90s sitcom Sister, Sister. The show ran from 1994 before ending in 1999. They also starred as main characters in Disney films like Seventeen Again and Twitches. As they got older, they began to venture into their own projects. Tia starred in BET’s hit series The Game as Melanie Barnett-Davis. She later became a cast member on Netflix’s show Family Reunion. 

Tamera has made several hearty, feel-good films with Hallmark. Several of them had a Christmas theme like A Christmas Miracle and The Santa Stakeout.

6. Chloe and Halle Bailey

Chloe Bailey, 26, and her 25-year-old sister Halle Bailey, started out singing covers on YouTube. But one 2013 viral video of them singing Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts” changed the girls’ lives forever. They garnered millions of views, one of those being from Queen Bey herself. By 2015, they were signed to her label Parkwood Entertainment on an $1 million contract. They released three projects together under Parkwood and it was Ungodly Hour that really captured the attention of many more fans. They then took their talents to the silver screen to star in the coming-of-age series Grownish. 

Eventually, they went their separate ways, with Chloe releasing her debut single, “Have Mercy,” in 2021. She later released two albums under her moniker Chlöe and starred in the horror series Swarm.

Halle, on the other hand, has released some singles over the years. She came out with “In Your Hands” and “Because I Love You” in 2024. But she’s been leaning more into her acting career. She made history in 2023 by becoming the first Black live-action princess in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. She also played the younger version of Nettie in the 2023 musical adaption of The Color Purple. 

7. Beyoncé and Solange Knowles

Speaking of Beyoncé, she and her baby sister Solange Knowles have been in the hearts of their fans for decades. The fandom for Beyoncé really started brewing in the early 2000s when she was in the girl group Destiny’s Child. In 2003, the 43-year-old embarked on her solo career, showing fans album after album why she’s a powerhouse. In her music, she empowered women with songs like “Single Ladies” and “Diva.” Other songs had themes about love, social injustice, and forgiveness.

Now, she’s on a new journey to reclaim the genres that were started by Black people but have since been taken. She took a recess from her usual R&B and Pop genres to now give Disco and Country. She currently has the most Grammy award wins with 35 total and 99 nominations, which also makes her the most Grammy-nominated artist. 

Solange, 38, is a singer and actress. She starred in early 2000s films like Johnson Family Vacation and Bring It On: All or Nothing.

She released her first album Solo Star in 2002, which was more pop. But as time progressed Solange’s established an earthy soul sound. She released her album A Seat at the Table in 2016. The “Cranes in the Sky” track from it earned her her first Grammy Award in 2017. For this album, she became the first person ever to receive the American Express Impact Award at the Billboard Women in Music Awards. 

Solange released her most recent album When I Get Home in 2019. 

But she’s also done work outside of music. Solange made history in 2022 by becoming the first Black woman to compose a score for the New York City Ballet. 

8. Venus and Serena Williams

Venus, 44, and Serena Williams, 43, are two sisters whose legacy still stands in tennis. They became involved with the sport respectively in 1994 and 1995. As a team, they won 14 doubles Grand Slam together and three Olympic gold medals as doubles. Separately, they’ve had their own titles.

Serena has won 23 Grand Slam singles championships, the most any player has ever won in the Open Era. She’s also won 367 matches, the most a player has won in women’s tennis history. Serena even held four Slam titles at the same time in 2003 and 2015. 

Venus made history by becoming the first Black woman to be No.1 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. She also currently has four gold Olympic medals and one silver. 

While it appears Venus has yet to retire, Serena pulled back from tennis in 2022. 

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