(Little Rock, KATV) — It’s still black history month and one Arkansas native created a mental health app with the target audience being African Americans.

The Ebony Notes app is catered toward the African American community to help break the stigmas around addressing mental health.

“It can be the beginning of your healing journey,” Welch said.

Ebony Notes started in 2019 as a safe space for African Americans to explore mental health solutions, eventually turning into an app to reach a wider audience.

“The biggest thing is that this is something that I needed. And one I realized this is something that I needed and I started speaking to other people about it I just realized that it’s actually a thing. That in black households we do not talk about like mental health. We do not discuss things of that nature. We are told what happens in our house stays in our house. We have to remain strong,” Welch said.

With the CDC reporting increased rates of suicide within the black community over the recent years, founder Ladonna Welch knew it was important to create a free space for positivity and decompression including meditation, audio, journaling, access to mental health resources, and affirmation notifications.

“I started doing research for things that resonated with me. I love positive words of affirmation… Positive self-talk. It helps with that mindset shift and it kind of pulls you out of a dark place. In my research I found that affirmations… There is science behind it that shows that it does all those things. It helps you with your mental wellness,” Welch said.

Welch who grew up in Little Rock says she’s well aware that there is an extreme need to shift the mental mindset of the black community right here in the state in order to pave way into successful lives.

“I hope that my app is making a difference in Little Rock and in Arkansas as a whole,” Welch said.

Welch says she will continue to find ways to improve the app, making it the best experience possible for all users.