ROOTED IN RADIANCE: 80 USVI Moms Gather for Uplifting Day of Healing and Empowerment
From Sound Healing to Boundary Setting, Local Women Pack UVI Center to Reclaim Joy and Shared Legacy
PETALS OF POWER: Ms. Karen Blyden of the Family Resource Center (FRC) addresses eighty local mothers during Saturday's empowerment seminar. Speaking in front of a vibrant floral backdrop matching the event's "Bloom Where You Are" theme, Blyden discussed the "baptism by fire" and trial-and-error realities of modern parenting. (Photo Courtesy: V.I. Department of Justice)
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun Staff Writer
ST. THOMAS — The energy inside the UVI 13D Research and Strategy Innovation Center on Saturday was nothing short of electric. Far from a traditional government conference, the 3rd Annual Mothers Matter Empowerment Event brought together 80 women from across the U.S. Virgin Islands for an interactive, high-energy day centered on mental wellness, generational healing, and mutual support.
Hosted by the Access and Visitation Program (AVP) of the V.I. Department of Justice Paternity and Child Support Division, this year’s gathering ran under the banner theme: "Bloom Where You Are: Rooted in Radiance". According to organizers, the message was designed to remind local mothers that growth, resilience, and personal triumph are entirely possible even during life's most difficult seasons.
SHARED SISTERHOOD: Seminar attendees share smiles and fellowship during a series of breakout presentations on Saturday. The gathering provided a welcoming, supportive space for local women to discuss emotional wellness and build a network of community connection. (Photo Courtesy: V.I. Department of Justice)
Unpacking the Burden: Value and Boundaries
The day’s speaker lineup featured prominent local educators, therapists, and leaders who skipped the boilerplate speeches to deliver raw, personal truths.
Motivational speaker and retired educator Carol O'Bryan Henneman issued a powerful caution to the room regarding the emotional loads women frequently carry. Without establishing ironclad personal boundaries early on, Henneman warned, mothers can easily find themselves swallowed up by demands they were never meant to manage.
"If we don't define ourselves and our values early," Henneman emphasized, "we can find ourselves in compromising situations and carrying emotional and personal loads that were never intended for us".
MOVEMENT AND MOTIVATION: Fitness instructor Annette Nicholson leads attendees through an interactive exercise and wellness routine at the UVI 13D Research and Strategy Innovation Center on Saturday. The 3rd Annual Mothers Matter Empowerment Event emphasized physical, emotional, and mental wellness for mothers across the territory. (Photo Courtesy: V.I. Department of Justice)
A ‘Baptism by Fire’
Representing the Family Resource Center (FRC), Ms. Karen Blyden addressed the audience in front of a sprawling, vivid multi-colored floral display. In her presentation, titled "Petals of Power," Blyden cut straight to the core anxieties of motherhood, reminding the crowd that perfection is an illusion.
Acknowledging that no step-by-step instruction manual exists for raising children, Blyden described parenting as a continuous process of trial, error, and immense love—calling the journey a true "baptism by fire".
HEALING RHYTHMS: Susan Darrow-Magras, Director of UVI CELL, plays the handpan—a percussion instrument similar to a steelpan—to demonstrate the restorative benefits of sound healing during a presentation by Claudette Elliott (standing) on Saturday. The musical session was a highlight of the 3rd Annual Mothers Matter Empowerment Event held at the UVI 13D Research and Strategy Innovation Center. (Photo Courtesy: V.I. Department of Justice)
Legacy, Menopause, and Sound Healing
The workshop also leaned heavily into non-traditional avenues of mental health and wellness:
The Legacy Framework: Dr. Muria Nisbett, creator of the HeirMark Framework, challenged the women to rethink generational impact. "Legacy is what is different because you were here," Nisbett shared. "What patterns end with you, and what you choose to start because of you".
Sound Healing: Dr. Susan Darrow-Magras, Director of UVI CELL, shared her personal journey through grief following the loss of close family members. She demonstrated the restorative benefits of sound healing by performing a reflective piece on the handpan—a resonant percussion instrument akin to a traditional steelpan.
Intentional Transitions: Guest speaker Claudette Elliott of Soul Morphosis, LLC shifted her planned agenda to share her intimate personal journey of supporting women navigating the emotional and physiological stages of menopause, drawing a deeply receptive response from the crowd.
ROOTED IN RADIANCE: Mothers from across the U.S. Virgin Islands participate in a lively, interactive movement and wellness session during Saturday's seminar. The event bypassed traditional lectures to focus on actionable healing, personal development, and active self-compassion. (Photo Courtesy: V.I. Department of Justice)
The Strength to Stand
The physical reality of a mother’s daily resilience was perfectly captured by VIPD Deputy Commissioner Carolyn Wattley. Wattley spoke to the sheer mental reconditioning required to keep moving forward for the sake of the territory's children, even on a mother's hardest days.
"Sometimes you have hard days," Wattley said. "Then you hear, 'Mom, I'm hungry,' and you get up and say, 'Sure, what would you like to eat today?' That takes immense strength".
As the event concluded with certificates of recognition and wellness activities led by fitness instructors Willa Fils and Annette Nicholson, the message from DHS Assistant Commissioner Taetia Phillips-Dorsett lingered in the room: bloom unapologetically, but know when to take a time-out for yourself.
Editorial Note: If tech moguls like Elon Musk want to see what actual structural resilience looks like in the Caribbean, they don't need to look at launchpad logistics—they just need to sit in the back of a room driven by eighty USVI mothers reclaiming their community legacy.
