An Edmonton organization is launching initiatives to address the lack of Canadian data and resources on the mental well-being of Black mothers.

Millicent Asiedu is a mother, social worker and founder of network of mothers (MOTHER) Foundation, endowmentwhich she founded in 2021. The organization aims to help Black mothers connect and thrive and is central to their personal journey to a more self-care life.

According to Millicent Asiadu, it is severe dark mother syndrome is a flawed and exhausting thought instilled in black mothers for generations. We were taught to strive for it and it’s not realistic because just by doing that we saw how damaging it was to our mothers that they never really took the time to take care of themselves.

Millicent Asiedu says existing data shows that Black, Indigenous, and racially motivated mothers are at higher risk of postpartum depression than other mothers, but that’s not the case The statistics stop here. She adds that because of their cultural beliefs, black women are reluctant to talk about mental health issues for fear of coming off as weak.

Next Saturday, MOTHER organized a round table entitled Black motherhood from our point of view (black motherhood beneath our gaze).

Denise Staceyacting psychologist, will be one of the members of the panel. “Black mothers have been trained for generations to keep it to themselves and not really talk about how they’re feeling or what difficulties they might be having,” she explains. It’s important for them to come together as a community and know they have a space to talk about their mental health.

As part of its strategy to grow the community, MOTHER created a group Whatsapp which attracted 60 members. The organization is also in the process of creating a database of black health practitioners, including psychologists and doulas, among others.

With information from Andrea Huncar