I have suffered from chronic clinical depression since the age of 12. As a child, I did not know how to manage my depression – in fact I didn’t even know what depression was. As an adult, none of the Black women in my circle (openly) dealt with mental health issues. For a long time I felt alone. There was no one I could talk to who could relate to my experience with mental health issues. Because of this, I went on a quest to find a local peer support group for Black women. Nothing turned up in my search so I tried to find an online peer group. Again, my search was in vain. Because I couldn’t find one, I created one. Because Black women have unique issues surrounding mental health and wellness, we need a safe space specifically for us. That is why I founded Mindful + Melanated.