There is a very well known HBCU fairy tale that has survived for several generations around the campuses of the all-male Morehouse College and its sister institution, the all-female Spelman College. The romantic fantasy created by many incoming freshman, male and female alike, is that you’ll fall in love and upon graduation, or shortly thereafter, marry the person of your dreams from the fellow institution. Parents and grandparents keep the flames fueled, making it hard for the student to dismiss.
Stacii Jae Johnson, founder of the The Single Girls Club and a Spelman College graduate was no exception. Her mother and grandmother would often ask her if she’d found that Morehouse man who would be her husband and father of her children.
The reality is, the actress, radio personality, lifestyle influencer and creativepreneur is still single, and what will be surprising to die-hard romantics, she’s happy.
On Feb. 27 and 28, Johnson is producing the Single Girls Club “Living, Loving, Laughing, Learning ME” Experience, a two-day conference with the sole purpose of affirming single women.
“I was the one whose parent’s asked, ‘Did you meet someone at Morehouse?’ or reminded, ‘It’s time to get married. We put you there for the education. We want to follow the tradition.’ My life didn’t turn out like that. Even today, my grandmother is still asking if I’ve found [my husband],” shares Johnson.
“I had two life-changing experiences. In 2005, my mom passed. In 2012, I had a career-defining reality check. I decided I was not going to be the person labeled irresponsible and that one act was going to define me. I was not going to live the life where everyone dictated who I should be. And, then I asked myself the ultimate question. A question that I never asked myself before, What makes me happy? … And guess what the answer was? A resounding, I am already happy!”
A serial entrepreneur, Johnson is also the creator of Black Girls TV and the curator of a weekly blog, The Single Girls Club Diaries and The Single Girls Club Daily paper, which is shared virally with single women across the country.
At this year’s Experience, Johnson will have host of dynamic panels and she will bestow a royal honor to one of the leading ladies in music.
“Catherine Brewton, BMI Atlanta’s vice president, writer/publisher relations will received the Crown Award of Excellence, which is presented to a single female who embodies the 360-degree woman. She finds a way to balance all areas of her life. She lives true to HerCrown while simultaneously impacting and crowning her community, her country and her world in a positive way.”
On why she is promoting the single life.
“When you look at [our] country’s [population], 44.9 percent are single and 60 percent have never been married. We are still teaching our kids to go to school, get married, have kids.
“I was living the life everyone else wanted me to. Living, Loving, Laughing, Learning Me – it’s an Experience, because once you get to that place and you can really say you are that, you have reached the experience. I know there are other women out here who are the one side. I am the master connector and networker. I want to connect with more like-minded spirits with single girls night out, single girls dining, experience travel, internationally. When you are a whole being you want to connect with other whole beings.”
Who will participate?
“The authors of Single Man, Married Man … we’re going to candid conversation with the five male authors and 200 single women. During this session, we will be encouraged to take responsibility for things we are challenged with. My mom was married five times, [her husbands] didn’t participate in my growth and demonstrate healthy relationships. We [women] are responsible for in being single. There will also be a panel ‘Matchmaking, online dating and all the rest.’ ‘All the rest’ is those false affirmations: “Girl, you know you a lady, you are not supposed to call that man, right?’ ‘When you’re at the bar, he is supposed to send you a drink.’ ‘You are not supposed to send it to him,’ and ‘If you are out and he catches your eye, he has to come after you because a man finds his woman’ … another is ‘Breaking the Stigmas.’
