Explore My Research
My research is situated at the intersection of race, place and mental health centering the lived experiences of Black mothers to understand how where one lives coupled with experiences of racism shapes mental health and wellbeing over the life course.
Black Mothers' Racial Socialization Practices in Response to Racial Unrests in 2020
Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 2026
Most people have heard of "The Talk", the conversation Black parents have with their children to prepare them for racism. But what happens when your children are grown, and racism is still very much alive? In this study, my colleagues and I sat with 24 older Black mothers and found that The Talk doesn't end when children become adults - it evolves. After the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, these mothers were back at it: warning their sons about police interactions, encouraging their daughters to stay strong, and leaning heavily on faith to carry their families through. This research challenges the assumption that racial socialization is just for children, and asks us to reckon with what it means that Black mothers are still having these conversations - with their 30, 40, and 50-year-old children.
Heal togetHER Community Based Mental Wellness Model
Ongoing project: 2024 -
What if the most powerful thing for a Black woman's mental health was simply another Black woman who truly understood? That question is what led me to found Heal togetHER - a community-based mental wellness model where Black women with lived experience provide culturally-responsive peer support to other Black women. In our one-year pilot, we served 97 women across 140 sessions, and the results were striking: 94% satisfaction, 99% said they would recommend it, and mental health improvements with a very large effect size - consistent across all income levels, ages, and backgrounds. Women told us they finally had a place to be heard without being judged, to heal without performing strength. Heal togetHER is ready to grow - through organizational partnerships, training, and expansion - because Black women deserve care that was built for them, by them.
Depression and the Neighborhood Experience of Black and Latine Adults
Families in Society, 2025
Where you live shapes how you feel - and this study puts that truth into the data. My colleagues and I examined depression among 585 Black and Latine adults living in high-burden Chicago neighborhoods and found that nearly one in three showed clinical signs of depression. For Black adults specifically, fear of crime was a key pathway connecting neighborhood conditions to depressive symptoms meaning it wasn't just poverty itself, but the daily fear that comes with it. This research makes the case that mental health can't be separated from place, and that healing communities requires healing the conditions people live in.
"We Have to Be in Fear": Racism-Related Vigilance Among Older Black Mothers
Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2026
What does it feel like to be a Black mother watching the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor play out on the news knowing your own children move through that same world? In this study, my colleagues and I sat with 24 older Black mothers to understand how the racial unrest of 2020 lived inside them. What we found was that fear wasn't just emotional, it showed up in their bodies too, disrupting sleep, worsening chronic illness, and settling into a constant state of alertness that never fully turned off. This research names what so many Black mothers already know: that racism isn't just a social problem, it's a physical one, and the toll it takes doesn't stop when your children grow up.
Weathering Probation and Parole: The Protective Role of Social Support on Black Women's Recent Stressful Events and Depressive Symptoms
Journal of Black Psychology, 2019
Black women are dramatically overrepresented in the criminal justice system, yet their mental health during probation and parole is rarely centered in research or care. In this study, my colleagues and I examined depression among 169 Black women navigating community correctional supervision. We found that nearly half the women met clinical criteria for depression. But we also found something important: the right kinds of social support made a real difference. Having people to talk to, practical help, and positive connections buffered the impact of life's stressors on mental health. This research argues that Black women under correctional surveillance deserve more than surveillance - they deserve care.
A Qualitative Exploration of How Black Mothers Experiencing Poverty Make Sense of the Strong Black Woman Stereotype
Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2024
Black mothers are often expected to be endlessly strong for their children, their communities, and everyone around them. But what does that expectation actually cost them? As a researcher and mother myself, I sat down with 16 Black mothers living in under-resourced Chicago neighborhoods to hear, in their own words, how they experience the "Strong Black Woman" stereotype. What they shared was profound: the pressure to always appear strong often meant hiding their pain, losing parts of themselves, and suffering in silence - even when they were deeply struggling. This research makes the case that Black mothers deserve spaces to be fully human, and that healers and helpers must understand the weight this stereotype carries.