Copy of About - Single Mom Defined

About Us

Who We Are

Mission

Single Mom Defined rewrites society’s narrative about Black single moms and creates an inclusive, supportive space for all single moms.

Herstory

Imagine if you Googled yourself and horrible search results popped up on your screen, saying you are damaged goods, trash, and selfish. How would it shape your identity, impact your self-esteem or form others’ opinions about you? Well, that’s exactly what happened when Motor Mouth Multimedia Founder and Nationally Award-Winning Writer Heather Hopson typed “Single Black Mom” into the search bar. When negative narratives flooded the page, she turned her anger into action and formed Single Mom Defined, a photo essay and video series. Fifty mothers wrote a more accurate definition of single parenting, and more than 100 children described their moms using words like joyous, kind, phenomenal, and affectionate. When the exhibit was unveiled, Single Mom Defined surveyed 500 people who admitted to having negative perceptions about single mothers. After exiting the exhibit, 93% stated they now held positive attitudes toward single mothers. The exhibit inspired an online and in-person to elevate the voices of single mothers and redefine public perspectives.

Online

SingleMomDefined.com is a top online destination for guidance on single parenting. The website features personal essays and articles on raising children, money management,
health and wellness, co-parenting, and much more. It also includes a comprehensive, interactive resource directory, which arose from a hackathon to help single moms, especially those experiencing poverty, hack life’s problems with technology solutions. Readers can connect in Single Mom Defined’s Facebook group, which consists of 2,000+ members and offers online programming, such as #ResourceWednesdays, #TherapyThursdays, writing workshops and other engaging virtual events. The majority of the group members are mothers between ages 25 and 44, raising one or more children under the age of 18, and residing in Pennsylvania. An additional 25,000+ others across the United States and overseas follow Single Mom Defined’s social media channels.

In-Person

Single Mom Defined connects mothers to resources, advocacy opportunities, and each other through various in-person activities, including our Advocacy Actions, Babysitting Cooperatives, Book Club, Coin Club, Co-parenting Cookout, Self-Care Squad, Moms Night Off, Solo Mom Group and Writing Workshops.

Advocacy Action

Babysitting Cooperatives

Inspired by Single Mom Defined Member Yvette Shipman, the babysitting cooperatives, funded by The Pittsburgh Foundation, connect moms to each other to live out the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The co-ops strengthen support systems, offer certifications and provide mothers temporary relief to address personal needs, such as sleep, medical treatment, or alone time.

Book Cub

Coin Club

Co-Parenting Cookout

Single Mom Defined celebrates fathers at an annual co-parenting cookout. The event aims to build a village that centers children and their needs and heal fractured co-parenting relationships. Whether connecting to a counselor, a co-parent or financial and emotional resources at the cookout, single parents are reminded that they don’t have to raise children all alone.

Self-Care Squad

Single mothers are busy! So the Self-Care Squad makes sure they don’t pour from an empty cup. Whether it’s taking part in self-love challenges, joining the walking club, or participating in collective counseling sessions, Single Mom Defined designs self-care strategies to fit into the tight schedules of single moms. If moms become overwhelmed, they can call Single Mom Defined’s 1-800 number to hear the monthly motivational message.

Moms Night Off

What’s for dinner? That’s probably the most asked question of kids across the country. Sometimes moms don’t know the answer, don’t have the money to go grocery shopping, or have the energy to make a meal after a long week at work. Moms Night Off gives moms a night off from cooking and delivers dinner and self-care items to hundreds of families. The no contact, porch deliveries are similar to DoorDash, but at no cost to moms, thanks to a partnership with the Women and Girls Foundation, Roxanne’s Catering and 412 Food Rescue. After dinner, moms participate in virtual self-care activities, like meditation, yoga and dance classes. Recently, Moms Night Off received media coverage from The Today Show.

Solo Mom Support Group

Single Mom Defined’s Cherrell Fulton and Caprice Scott formed a subgroup to better meet the needs of mothers raising children alone. Solo moms, while considered single mothers, face unique challenges, since their children's fathers are no longer in their lives for various reasons, such as death, incarceration or abandonment. Solo moms host monthly meetings to connect with others facing the same circumstances and share resources and services.

Writing Workshops

Single Mom Defined hosts writing workshops to help moms find renewed purpose in their lives, practice writing as a path to healing, take control of the narrative about single parenting and advocate for themselves and their families. The workshops are presented by Award-Winning Author and Speaker GG Renee.

Partner With Us

Single Mom Defined is a limited liability company (LLC), which works with partners directly or through a fiscal sponsorship at the Women and Girls Foundation. WGF is a 501c3 organization with a mission to achieve equality for women and girls, now and for generations to come.

Single Mom Defined offers countless ways to collaborate! Partners can:

Advertise on the Website
Sponsor a Writing Workshop
Sponsor Blog or Social Media Posts
Book a Speaker or Panel Discussion
Sponsor a Self-Care Squad Activities
Install Single Mom Defined Art Exhibit
Support Babysitting Cooperative or Solo Moms Group
Sponsor Moms Night Off Event or Co-Parenting Cookout

Email hello@singlemomdefined.com for partnership details!