BATON ROUGE — This weekend, parents are invited to a celebration of Black mothers and caregivers at the YWCA Empowerment Center.

"Black Joy: A Maternal Wellness Celebration" will feature workshops, panel discussions and activities focused on self-care, mental health and community support.

The goal of the event is to teach people about the necessities of wellness before, during and after pregnancy.

Event organizer Frankie Robertson said that Black parents can "enjoy their pregnancy experience and the postpartum period despite all of the challenges we know that present for Black women and birthing people."

"We're gonna make sure we're empowered, we're informed on what we can do and talk about self-advocating through the rest," Robertson said, adding that it's important for Black women to get the appropriate care they deserve during all stages of the process.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at the YWCA Empowerment Center on North Boulevard in downtown Baton Rouge.