“Surreal.” That’s the phrase that mannequin, author, and the inspiring founding father of The Tender Basis, Jaycina Almond, makes use of to explain being a part of the adidas 2025 Honoring Black Excellence (HBE) program. “I’m so grateful to be named one of many Honorees for 2025. I’m a Black woman from Kentucky who received pregnant at 20, I’m not alleged to be sitting right here having this dialog with you,” she instructed EBONY.
The 2025 HBE program acknowledges particular person expressions of creativity and teams who’ve proven resilience, power and brilliance of Black excellence of their efforts. This 12 months’s honorees additionally embrace the Quilters of Gee’s Bend.
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To have fun Almond’s impression with the Tender Basis, adidas HBE has debuted a transferring brief movie chronicling her journey and the Tender Basis’s mission to redefine narratives surrounding Black motherhood. For Ladies’s Historical past Month, EBONY chatted with Almond about her award and erasing the stigma that the phrase “single moms” generally brings up.
EBONY: Congratulations on this honor.
Jaycina Almond: Receiving such recognition on such a big scale is so surreal! If you end up within the thick of it, there’s at all times extra you’re feeling like you can be and needs to be doing. I wish to ensure all our households keep housed, all people has sufficient for groceries this month, and all of the issues are proper. However being named one of many adidas HBE Honorees made me replicate on all the things we’ve been capable of accomplish and replicate on how my group and my village are the parents who made it doable for me to be the place I’m at the moment.
What occasion motivated you to begin The Tender Basis? Was it a part of a private journey?
Tender is unquestionably the end result of my private expertise. My mother was a single mother for the primary half of my childhood, after which she was caught in a nasty relationship as a result of she couldn’t help three women on her personal. I received pregnant fairly younger, at 20, and I used to be a single mother for the primary a number of years of my daughter’s life. I feel I simply wished to do one thing for ladies like me.
How does the group help and empower single moms?
At Tender, we’re constructing a security internet for single mothers residing on the margins right here in Atlanta in order that they will spend money on what they want. From housing to conserving the fridge stocked and all the things in between, we provide emergency invoice pay help with hire, utilities and childcare prices. We additionally function a Diaper Financial institution the place all households can get diapers, wipes and formulation totally free, and we additionally run a assured revenue program referred to as The Bridge, the place our mamas obtain month-to-month money funds for a full 12 months – no strings connected. We actually do consider in trust-based options which can be rooted in dignity.
How will the adidas award profit your efforts?
There’s at all times extra we wish to do however solely so many {dollars} within the financial institution to do it with. Receiving this award not solely permits us to achieve extra mamas with direct help, it additionally helps elevate consciousness to destigmatize poverty and single motherhood. There’s no disgrace in being a single mother, there’s no disgrace in residing paycheck to paycheck, these items usually are not particular person failures.
What can we as a society do to help single moms?
I feel the very first thing that we now have to do collectively is to take away the stigma and the disgrace behind the connotation of being a single mother. Some ladies select to be single mother and father, some ladies lose their companions, and different instances it merely doesn’t work out and there’s this overarching perception in society once you hear a girl say she is a single mother–there may be some kind of ethical deficiency, or she is irresponsible.
Then, extra virtually, I feel we now have to maneuver away from how individualized our world is. Present up and provide a single mother group. It’s not at all times straightforward or comfy to actually be in group with the parents round you, however once you do construct group, you recognize when you want something, your individuals have your again. Provide to meal prep, get her automotive cleaned and do the grocery procuring; all of these items may lighten the load.
“Single moms” sounds so dated. Is there higher terminology or thought to explain these unbelievable ladies who’re elevating kids on their very own?
I really feel like “single moms ” sound dated due to all of the stereotyping that phrase has change into a container for. I don’t know if there’s a higher phrase or if the stigma will simply comply with, proper? Some individuals have used solo dad or mum or impartial mother and father for single mother and father, so there are alternatives.
Go to, thetenderfoundation.com for extra data on help this worthy trigger.
