Candice Brathwaite is the hilarious, straight-talking mummy influencer and writer who is bringing a refreshing perspective on Black motherhood with her upcoming novel I Am Not Your Baby Mother.
Candice’s unique, authentic and often hilarious voice gives the Mummy Blogger sphere a refreshing lease of life, grabbing the attention of brands and her 100k + followers on social media. She’s also the co-founder of the online campaign Make Motherhood Diverse which aims to represent a diverse and accurate depiction of modern motherhood.
I Am Not Your Baby Mother provides readers with an informative and unapologetically honest exploration of Black British motherhood. Candice covers many aspects of what it means to be a Black British mother from the different stages of pregnancy, to dealing with unconscious bias, racial microaggressions and heart-warming milestones like the first time you wave goodbye to your child at the school gates. Candice manages to cover all these topics while infusing her unique sense of humour that so many of her followers have come to love.
“The problem with the erasure of Black motherhood, is that as per usual Black women are the last to get a seat at the table, let alone a slice of the pie.”
The release of this novel is a welcome breath of fresh air, far too often the experience of British Black motherhood is excluded from mainstream media. As Candice explained in her blog post “The problem with the erasure of Black motherhood, is that as per usual Black women are the last to get a seat at the table, let alone a slice of the pie. A whole host of Black mothers with influential voices and deep reach are pushed aside with the same opportunities being rolled out to the same faces.”
So, what’s the book about? Speaking to Refinery 29, Candice explains: “[My] book will be part memoir and part manifesto, a tell-all and self-help book combined. Quite frankly, it’s the book I wish I was gifted when I found out I was pregnant.
Primarily, I hope [my] book helps Black British mothers feel validated and encouraged to take up space. For all others reading it, I hope I’m able to help accurately describe the many hurdles black British mothers are up against.”
Sharing the viewpoint of Black motherhood in the mainstream space? We love to see it!
I Am Not Your Baby Mother was released on 28 May 2020. Buy it here.
