Woman Crush Wednesday: ANTHONIA AKITUNDE

WHO: Anthonia Akitunde is the founder and editor-in-chief of Mater Mea, a website "that tells the stories of women of color at the intersection of motherhood and career." With the help of her team, Anthonia provides readers with articles on topics ranging from parenting to wellness to culture, as well as with interviews from inspiring mamas of color. Anthonia also has her own podcast in which "she talks to guests about the topics that matter most to black professional women and mothers."

WHY WE LOVE HER: After our last Mama Moments blog post and with the Climb Out of the Darkness walk coming up June 18, here at Mama Said, we have maternal mental illness on our minds. Anthonia and her staff also had mental illness on their collective mind last month as they devoted a week of posts to talking about mental illness, particularly in the community of black mothers. The week’s posts touched on topics including postpartum depression, the practice of self-care and the importance of seeking help for mental illness as members of the black community.

ON POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION: “If you have postpartum depression, you have to know it’s not your fault. I didn’t and still don’t understand why people don’t talk about the challenges so many women face after giving birth, postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are real illnesses. You can’t just snap out of it. There’s no shame in getting help, don’t suffer through it in silence.” -Mater Mea contributer Satya Nelms recounting the postpartum experience of Mandisa Lee.