Then the 2017 WMC Facebook group got opened by Katherine. Susan, conference organizer, was away on vacation. Graeme was confused; the Facebook group wasn’t supposed to open until Susan got back. Katherine flung a passive-aggressive comment about how “no one told the CEO” about what was going on. (Even I was taken aback upon seeing that comment.) I had no idea what happened behind the scenes after that, but I could only imagine that the passive-aggressive comment wouldn’t be taken lying down.
Next thing I know, I log into the Warrior Mom Ambassador group and Graeme has posted her resignation without explanation or warning. I check the Warrior Mom Conference Alumni group. Posted there as well. I am breathing heavy and my world is beginning to crumble around me.
This is 2015 all over again. And this time, I do not have PPD/OCD to make things fuzzy for me.
I immediately reach out to Graeme and ask her, “What is going on?” She directs me to her post on medium.com, “The Weight of the Last Straw.”
I’m just going to let y’all know NOW that I’m a BAP—Black American Princess—and I am naive to the racist things of the world. So microaggression is a new word for me. I wish Katherine and I would’ve learned this stuff together. Maybe PP would’ve still been around.
But I knew—I just KNEW that the passive-aggressive “no one told the CEO” comment may have been considered a microaggression or the act of whatever went down behind it was a microaggression. I know now that there was far too much that went behind it. And indeed, it was the last straw for Graeme.
Katherine posted an apology to Graeme on her Facebook page but the first comment on Katherine’s page struck a chord with me:
But Katherine, this isn’t the first time. That’s what is truly concerning. -Heather Barmore
Yes, Heather. Yes.
Not even days went by. But hours. And as hours went by, stories came out. Jenna. Jenni. Divya. A’Driane. Alexandra. Women speaking about poor interactions with Katherine. Then the PP board released their first statement:
The Board of Postpartum Progress met yesterday to review recent events, starting with the actions leading up to and including Graeme Seabrook’s resignation as well as subsequent statements, claims and resignations, in order to collectively respond. We want to let you know first and foremost that we are here, and we are listening and learning.
We are acutely aware that Graeme and other women of color – be they staff members or volunteers – have been uncomfortable with how they were treated by our CEO and Board Chair. This is being taken very seriously and separate investigations into these claims will be forthcoming. We are committed to ensuring every person involved with Postpartum Progress feel valued, included and safe. We are immediately working to develop a process for all members of our community to be heard in a safe space, which will take time, but will be the most productive way of effecting true and lasting change.
Several months ago we engaged the consulting services of Dr. Dietra Hawkins, a multicultural competency expert, to coach our CEO in managing a diverse team and organization. We all spoke with Dr. Hawkins this morning and will be further engaging her to lead a community outreach effort for the Postpartum Progress volunteers so that we can learn how to better communicate with each other. We will need your input as we create this process via board@postpartumprogress.org, Dr. Hawkins along with Board Member Lesley Neadel will be available to hear your suggestions for other experts to involve, changes you hope to see, and to listen to your feedback on how recent events have affected you. Our goal is to create a thoughtful forum where we learn to respectfully discuss difficult issues with trusted mediation. This will be our first order of business moving forward.
We have also learned that our internal grievance process must be improved and formalized so that we can resolve tensions before they hurt valued members of our team. There will be more action, communication and training on this soon.
This has been a truly painful experience for so many. It is our intention to use this as an opportunity to become a stronger organization where all team members feel heard, believed, and valued. We have every hope that our Postpartum Progress team and our volunteers can come together to have hard, open and frank conversations, learn from each other and survive this. For the sake of the mission of the organization, to help all moms suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, we ask that you all work with us so that we can grow into a more inclusive community—together stronger.
24 hours and 5 minutes later, the board drops a bomb on everyone involved in postpartum activities:
It is with heavy hearts that the Board of Directors of Postpartum Progress has made this difficult decision, but we have unanimously agreed to shut down the nonprofit Postpartum Progress in accordance with our bylaws and all applicable laws.
Our mission to help any and all mothers suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders has always guided us, and will continue on as our blog and the information and resources contained within will be available in perpetuity. We encourage all Warrior Moms to continue to do the important work in their local communities to help new mothers. We will forever be grateful to them, to our staff, to our volunteers and to our donors who have helped us support millions of moms in need of help.
There will be no facilitated group phone call forum at noon today, or any in the future, as we had planned. Our outside counsel, Susan Pangborn at Kilpatrick Townsend, will be managing the official closure.
Critics point to this petition as the reason why Postpartum Progress, Inc. chose to dissolve. We all know that the board chose option 2 by announcing that their funds will help establish an Advisory Council that is “diverse and inclusive and provides a voice for women of color in the maternal mental health community.” What I want to know is why option 1, which would have kept the non-profit open, was NOT chosen.
Option 1: Remove CEO from non-profit and remove board who have failed to hold her accountable over multiples instances. Hire new CEO after new board, that is reflective of the community of maternal mental health [i.e. intersectional and inclusive], is established.
I guess my question is: Was it so important to retain the current CEO and board members that they would rather dissolve the organization than step down? This is a question I am grappling with. The potential to reach even more moms with a diverse team in an already-established organization seems limitless.
***
My heart bleeds when I hear about or think of anything Postpartum Progress or Warrior Mom related. I have Warrior Mom gear and a Warrior mantra band that I no longer wear because it pains me too much. Will the Warrior word be tarnished in my world forever? I don’t know? Will I ever be able to wear my Warrior Mom T-shirt without it being bittersweet? Probably never. Do I think Katherine’s racist? I think she needs A LOT of guidance and A LOT of education. Even after this whole mess, I don’t think she should give up on learning about how to approach people of color better.
For the record, Katherine has never harmed ME personally. I want everyone to know that Katherine has always treated me with kindness and respect. She has been there for me during my toughest times of my postpartum depression and made sure I had resources available when I needed them. Katherine is not an evil person, not in my book, and I do not anyone to think I am depicting her that way. But I do think she has a history of hiccups with people of color that needs to be smoothed out. It may not be with EVERY person of color, but it’s been with enough people of color and on enough racial issues that it warrants education, an open mind, and an open heart.
I’m black and I’m learning too, Katherine. Let’s listen to what the marginalized tell us and learn together.
Read the beginning, Part I, here.
This Journey Is My Own 