The Women Who Knew You When
We all have them: the women who knew us when. Before the titles and the carpools, the moves and the milestones. They remember who we were when we feared less and dared more, and somehow they still know us best.
But life has a way of pulling us apart. A new city, a new job, a new season. We make new friends and we treasure them. Meanwhile, the ones who knew us first quietly drift out of reach.
I found my way back to that kind of connection at a mahjong table with my neighbors. Women of every age sat together. Seasoned players taught newcomers and offered advice that had little to do with the game. The rhythm of the tiles and the easy conversation made staying close feel natural again. And I kept wondering: what if we didn’t have to lose touch at all? What if we had a ritual that could ebb and flow with life but would always be there to bring us back?
That question became Mahjong Sisterhood™ and our officially licensed sorority sets. Every tile carries your letters, symbols and values. Together they draw you back to the rituals you hold dear and give you common ground with any sister, whether she pledged beside you, decades before you, or at a chapter across the country. That shared identity is an open invitation to mentor, encourage and show up for one another.
The tiles are the tools. The women are the glue. They’re the ones who have seen our grit, our grief and our goofiest moments, and who hold us together when we think we can’t.
So gather them. Deal them in. Your table is waiting.
Warmly,
Oleta Lane Salyards
Founder & CEO, Mahjong Sisterhood™
Pi Beta Phi alumna, Missouri Beta, Washington University in St. Louis
Traditions of Sisterhood. One Shared Vision.
A Founding Gratitude
Our logo was designed with deep intention. At its center rests a Chinese seal block print, and rising above it, a classical Ionic column. Together they tell a story of cultural exchange, community, and the timeless ways women gather.
The Chinese Roots of Mahjong
Mahjong emerged near Shanghai in the mid-to-late 19th century as a game of strategy, skill, and camaraderie. When it crossed the Pacific in the 1920s, it gave Chinese American communities a cultural touchstone, a game that crossed generations and brought families together around the table. We are profoundly grateful to Chinese culture for creating a game of such enduring beauty and connection.
The Jewish Community’s Stewardship
In the decades after World War II, young Jewish American mothers turned to mahjong to build social lifelines and lasting friendships in new suburban neighborhoods. Jewish women carried the game forward across generations, and the National Mah Jongg League, founded in New York, standardized the annual card that millions still play. We honor and thank the Jewish community for keeping the game alive in America and championing it for generations.
The Panhellenic Sisterhood
The Ionic column has stood for grace and enduring strength for more than 2,500 years. In our mark, it honors the American collegiate Panhellenic tradition: the shared values, rituals, and sisterhoods that support women from Bid Day to decades beyond graduation. We are grateful to the Greeks for inspiring the American collegiate Panhellenic system.
The Ionic Column & Panhellenic Sisterhood
One Shared Table
Separated by continents and eras, these traditions share one essential truth: the table is where bonds are built. The Mahjong Sisterhood™ logo is our statement of gratitude and recognition to the histories and communities that made this sisterhood possible.
Where Traditions Meet
Our Sisterhood
