When I first decided to call Atlanta Home, I had no idea how challenging it would be to navigate the social scene here in the city! Of course, “we” are everywhere, but it was so hard to simply meet and connect with like-minded women that shared similar interests such as family-building, true sisterhood, and a little brunch every now and then I mean, we ARE women!
But, thanks to Virginia-native, Carmen Jones, her vision of bringing women together in unity has come to reality with the creation of her global organization– The Black Girl Social Club (BGSC)!
Checkout my exclusive interview with Carmen Jones, as we talked about the rapid growth of her social club, her inspiration for creating BGSC, and a glimpse of the 2022 Global Unity Conference in Atlanta!
Giselle: Thanks for speaking with me today Carmen, first let’s start with the basics: Tell us your name, location, zodiac sign, and family life!
Carmen: I’m Carmen, I’m a Dog Mom of a 5-month old Labordoodle! I’m an African-American woman, originally from Richmond, VA. I’m the Founder of a series called the CEO Sermon Series, which focuses on mental health for entrepreneurs. I’m a Board Member of an organization called B.E.A.P. which stands for the Birth Equity and Advocacy Program, and most of all I am a mentor. I have a lot of mentees here in the area, and around the country.
As for my zodiac, I’m an Aries/Taurus cusp but I identify as an Aries. We are the first of the zodiac, loyal, and also stubborn, but I am fully committed to being an Aries!
Giselle: Hello Little Miss Aries. So, what was your career prior to starting BGSC?
Carmen: I worked with minority students from ages 4 – 21 and I helped students at Clark Atlanta University (CAU) get employed, and I was also a teacher while I lived in Northern Virginia. I’ve always worked with young people.
I attended THE Howard University and studied Communications. I moved to Atlanta from DC after losing a job in Northern Virginia. I knew I wanted to get into the entertainment industry, but I didn’t know anyone or anything about it but I knew I wanted to write. So, I moved to Atlanta. I started a blog under the pen name CarmaJonesKnows.
As a blogger, I worked red carpets, blogged about celebrities, social issues, feminist issues, etc… I also worked in Public Relations for a time, I worked with Dr. Heavenly of Married 2 Medicine. I’ve always been a Comms/Media girl!
Giselle: Okay thennnnn, likewise! I love that energy, when I saw your pic I knew you looked familiar. We may have crossed paths on a red carpet here in Atlanta!
Giselle: What inspired you to create The Black Girl Social Club (BGSC)?
Carmen: I used to be on the scene a lot in Atlanta and I wanted to connect with people but the events were not really solid. We ate and drank, but there was no real connection.
Frankly, BGSC started as a selfish journey because I really thought: Where are all the black women? I’m gonna just start a social club!
Where are all the black women? I’m gonna just start a social club!
Carmen Jones, Creator of The black girl social club
Then, in 2019, I created an Instagram page and the next thing I know and it exploded! I was getting daily new followers, I was mind-blown!
Girl, I created an Excel spreadsheet but I became overwhelmed, I didn’t have the tech, the operations, or even a way to manage the money! Thankfully, my best friend has a background in tech, banking, and engineering and she ended up coming in and saving the BGSC with her knowledge and expertise and helped me operate it like a real business.
Our growth moved really fast. In 2020, things started to really pick up and now, we’re in our third year and have garnered over 100K organic followers on Instagram!
- 80 chapters and growing,
- 4000+ active members, and
- Chapters worldwide, including chapters in Hong Kong, and London!
Giselle: That’s like …….amazing. So please, tell me what does BGSC stand for, what are some of the core values?
Carmen: Service, Integrity, and Building Community.
Giselle: Dope! So last but not least, let’s talk Global Unity Conference 2022 and how can readers support the BGSC and get involved?
Carmen: At the Unity Conference, expect black excellence, black joy, a good time! A gathering of our people, you’ll see beautiful outfits, beautiful photo-ops, and to be inspired! My ultimate goal is to make an impact in the lives of black women and help them find joy.
My ultimate goal is to make an impact in the lives on black women and to help them find joy.
Carmen jones, founder of the black girl social club
There are tons of ways to support BGSC, first you can follow us on Instagram @TheBlackGirlSocialClub and visit our website at The Black Girl Social Club dot com. We are also a small black-owned, woman-owned business so if there are any opportunities for grants, gifts, etc.. that fit our business model, feel free to contact us directly.
Giselle: WOW! What an incredible story, thank you so much for sharing!
Image Gallery: Global Unity Conference 2022 with Keynote Speaker, Tabitha Brown
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