Meet Queen Naa Ardaku Mansah

A highly sought after successful business woman and land developer, Graciela Blackstone is a woman who has taken control of her life and paved her own way. Coming from a fifth generation farming family, a descendant of Alex Haley, Graciela has always taken pride in her heritage and hard work. Now an enstooled Queen in Ghana, the Baltimore native has created and operated businesses in multiple industries.

Over the years, her family owned business, Blackstone Development, was instrumental in the construction of well-known Baltimore structures such as Camden Yards. The diverse business woman once owned and operated a restaurant, Cafe Distinction, in downtown Baltimore. She has operated as a licensed landscaper, electrician, has served in the U.S. military and even was a volunteer fire fighter for 10 years.

In 2017, Graciela was enstooled as Development Queen of Obilieman-Opah and is now working with the government in Ghana to create new, sustainable communities. Her royal title is Naa Adaku Mansa I. Learn more about Graciela/ Queen Ardaku Mansah below. 

Fancy: How would you describe your swagher? What makes Graciela, Graciela?

Queen Ardaku Mansah: My swagher is an ultra modern, insightful persona that deeply hears emotions and responds with care and caution. I take into consideration the other person’s perspective, I put myself in their shoes, then respond to my best capability with positive energy and corny jokes.

What makes me, me are the years of having love in east Baltimore on Luzerne Avenue as a child, the ‘fights and back to being friends’ attitudes, the ‘it takes a village’ caring that was going on then in the early 1960’s. Neighbors hanging out windows would tell you to stop doing wrong and then tell your parents..The agony of losing friends to drugs that came into the areas. The inability to clearly understand mental issues not being addressed and people hurting themselves and children with violence from lack of treatment. The real life experiences I incurred as a fire fighter and emergency medical technician, coming to homes for overdoses or unusual acting out, blackouts, etc. in the Black communities. My thirst and love of Black History and anthropology that led me to follow my father, a Tuskegee Airman, Chief of Engineers, and flight instructor James Blackstone Sr.

During the Tuskegee Experiment, the Black military airmen were given chemicals as an experiment by the government. These types of experiments were also taking place throughout the country by major medical divisions in Black communities. Mental issues were are are still rampant. The same trials happened in Africa.

I am enstooled as a Queen of Development in Ghana. A big part of my development there, as it is also here in America, is to bring to light mental issues that were induced through our bloodstreams as experiments.

Fancy: At what point did you decide to share your story to uplift and educate others?

Queen Ardaku Mansah: Well, I was speaking at a JT FOXX event in Baltimore City, regarding outreach and business to Africa. I met Melony Hill at that event. Her openness and sincere approach to mental illness and reading of her book, helped me know this was a person I would like to know and possibly do something together on behalf of society in the Black communities.

Fancy: What inspired you to take part in the Crazy Like a Fox Tour?

Queen Ardaku Mansah: The fact that Melony shared her story and that I would have the chance to speak personally with other women about their mental illness experiences. The opportunity to build an alliance of like-minded women on a path of healing that could align with what I’m doing and expand into a international program for great things.

Fancy: You yourself hadn’t been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, but mental health affects 98% of your family’s home and the country of Ghana. What type of work do you do to help to combat this illness there?

Queen Ardaku Mansah: I’ve had to spend a lot of time in Ghana evaluating the living conditions and observing the cultural differences between here and there. Most importantly, I observed the spiritual beliefs and attitudes to make sure I was not unjustly identifying what I was seeing wrongly. Many of the African-belief cultures include dances, trances, and spiritual beliefs, that in the past were wrongly analyzed by westerners and Europeans.

This allowed me to really pinpoint things that can be addressed with the King, Chiefs, and the Departments of Mental Assistance in the Ghana Government in the near future. I am a new Queen there, enstooled in 2017. It took time to analyze and I am still working on it, along with many other issues.

Fancy: Do you think Ghana’s Mental Health Bill that the World Health Organization helped to draw up is helping with this problem any?

Queen Ardaku Mansah: Absolutely, the Ghana Mental Health Bill through the World Health Organization depicts the kinds of issues and solutions needed for a vast majority of people in stressful environments around the world. By working in conjunction with world class medical and physiology professionals and utilizing think tanks, the bill has created the most healthy approach in customizing mental health solutions.

Fancy: As a dual citizen would you say there is any difference in the advancement in the care aspect of mental health in the US versus Ghana?

Queen Ardaku Mansah: I am still obtaining dual citizenship. But yes, there is a huge difference in Ghana and America. Ghana has a lot of input from England. Ghana still operates with the parliament in London. America has some the top mental health facilities in the world. Ghana has many areas that still need infrastructure and roads to allow access for the citizens to care. It does however, have 250,000 unemployed college graduates. Those in mental health professions are being employed into the needy areas to provide assistance. A new drone delivery of medications has started to provide medicine to remote areas also.

Fancy: From researching, it appears that Ghanaian women are more oppressed than the men. How do you think that affects their mental health?

Queen Ardaku Mansah: Ghanaian women have the immense pressure of handling the loss of jobs. The educational system there requires parents to pay for uniforms and school books. The youth make up a big part of the population. Many are unemployed and the recruitment into bad and/or militant groups is a threat. Lack of clean water and medical assistance is also stressful. Above all, I feel and have seen great pride and respect of African women by the community as a whole. Optimism and spiritual beliefs bring their look on life above ours here in America. They still cook daily and eat healthy. With additional services and job creation, mental issues can be bought under control.

Fancy: What inspirational nugget would you care to share with our readers?

Queen Ardaku Mansah: Don’t judge! Just when you think you have it all together, life can knock you down. Mental health is a real issue, but not an excuse to mock people.

My quote of the day ” We are all Coo Coo for Coco Puffs “. LOL!

Queen Ardaku Mansah will be speaking at the Crazy Like a Fox: Black Mental Health Matters Brunch Tour in Atlanta, May 25th and again in Philadelphia July 14th. RSVP at www.crazylikeafoxtour.com/rsvp. 

Website: http://www.kingoyanka.com/blog