mater mea—Support and Community for Black Moms

 

for black moms

who we are

mater mea helps Black moms live their best lives. We do this through sharing motherhood stories that get real real about this work-life juggle; getting and giving expert advice on everything from finding a midwife to handling microaggressions at work; and sharing resources that can help make being a mom a little easier and a lot less lonely.

 
Featured
Aesha Ray Owns Her Town's First Black-Owned Beauty Supply Store. Here's How She Did It

All while working a full-time job and raising two boys by herself no less.

Featured
The Masks We Wear: Finding Ourselves Between Self-Respect and Respectability

A mom reflects on the respectability politics she was raised on, and the self-respect she wants to foster in her children.

mater mea - Celebrating Motherhood and Women of Color
Get It Right, Get It Tight: Why Kegels Matter After Childbirth

Kegels aren’t just for your sex life. This pelvic-floor strengthening exercise can help with a number of postpartum issues.

Featured
7 Ways To Make Time For Self-Care During The Week

Self-care shouldn’t have to wait until Sunday—here are some tips for reducing your stress during the work week.

Featured
6 Must-Have Hair Accessories for Your Littles

Give your child’s crowning glory some extra glam with these hair accessories created by Black-owned businesses.

Featured
Surviving R. Kelly Is An Indictment Of The Enablers In Our Community

The Lifetime docuseries shows that it takes a village to raise a child—and a village to destroy their innocence.

 

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Social media feeds are abuzz with little ones showcasing unique hairstyle magic. Afros, twists, cornrows, ponytails, and wash-n-go styles...from 2a to 4c and anywhere in between, our babies are rocking the cutest dos. ⁣ ⁣ Looking for something to protect your child’s precious strands? Or perhaps you want to make that adorable hairstyle pop? Click the link in bio to check out these hair accessories that’ll make styling and accessorizing a tad bit easier. The best part about these children’s hair accessories is that they’re all made by Black-owned companies. ⁣ ⁣ (Words: @iamtabari⁣. Photo credit: The always dope @creativesoulphoto)
"Before giving birth, and without being certain about the sex of my child, I had developed a fear of not being able to protect a son from this cruel world. Trayvon Martin. Tamir Rice. Michael Brown. Jordan Edwards. These young black boys were viewed as a “threat” and killed by police. But the notion that an infant could incite unease had never crossed my mind."⁣ ⁣ In a new op-ed ("Dear white people, please stop saying my infant son looks 'angry'"), Yahoo beauty director and new mom @_danaoliver unpacks why Black children are often on the receiving end of negative stereotypes that age them beyond their years. ⁣ ⁣ You can read the full op-ed in the bio. Have you and/or your kids had this experience? Let's talk about it in the comments.
Despite the great losses both Delmost and Theresa have experienced, the pair have soldiered on together. They’ve found their groove as mother and son, and their days aren’t as teary as their first few months together were. ⁣ ⁣ What does Theresa love most about being a mom?⁣ ⁣ "When I see my child connect the dots for himself. You can teach a lesson, teach a lesson, teach a lesson, but then when you see or hear them doing it themselves, living it out themselves, and see that it has connected... That’s been the gift to me because I didn’t raise him; he was with someone else for nine years. So to incorporate him into a very, very different life than [what] he lived in Mississippi—to see him embracing and becoming his own self, but echoing some of the things he’s learned while he’s been here with me—that feels good. I love watching him become himself."⁣ ⁣ (Full feature in bio. Words: @ariel_cwilliams. Photo credit: @erikalaynephoto)⁣ ⁣
Though Theresa doesn’t regret becoming TT Mommie, uprooting Delmost also meant making major changes in her life as well; she took six weeks of adoption leave from work to try and learn what life would look like for them as a new mom and son.⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ “Honestly, when he first came, I don’t know who cried more: me or him,” she says. “He was sad and depressed; I was sad and overwhelmed. I was in the middle of a messy divorce and grieving, raising this child, and trying to do my job.”⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ To keep sane, Thames leaned on her church and friends for support. “I built the village and family that I needed,” she says now. “Those first few months were hard. He desperately missed being close to family, especially my mother, and I was overwhelmed with parenthood. I had to find a school, a pediatrician, and a barber. I had my first breakdown in the school uniform store because I had no idea how to buy pants for a boy.”⁣⠀ ⁣⠀ (Full feature in bio. Words: @ariel_cwilliams. Photo credit: @erikalaynephoto)
Theresa graduated @Howard1867 and @DukeDivinity School, and became one of the first black women pastors at Foundry United Methodist Church. But in the midst of her success, her marriage was unraveling. Three months after their separation, she learned of her sister's passing.⁣ ⁣ Theresa made the decision to bring Delmost from Mississippi to D.C. to live with her. (Delmost’s father was unable to take him in.)⁣ ⁣ “It was not a difficult decision for me to take him,” Theresa says now, “but I had no idea how I would make life work as a single parent literally 1,000 miles away from my family. However, him remaining in Mississippi was not an option. I wanted him to have a full and healthy life, a life that would expose him to the world. I had no doubt that he would be loved and cared for in Mississippi by our family, but I also knew that their care of him would be limited.”⁣ ⁣ (Full feature in the bio. Photo credit: @erikalaynephoto)

About

mater mea is a website that tells the stories of women at the intersection of motherhood and career. Launched in 2012, the site offers a more realistic depiction of black women in the many spaces they occupy: as mothers, daughters, employees and employers, lovers, and friends.  Learn more...