Melanin and Maternal Wellness

Call Website Contact the organization

Melanin and Maternal Wellness Centering Black mothers & babies via doula, lactation services, advocacy,& maternal wellness services We pay homage to their legacy and honor our African roots.

Our Afrocentric and holistic model of care is derived from the African American "Grand Midwives" of the 20th Century. Through the lens of Reproductive Justice, we advocate for equality, equitable access to healthcare, and medical care rendered to Black women free of discrimination based on race. We advocate for, and support, legislation, policy, and medical protocols designed to ensure high quality and uncompromising medical care, as a means to combat the disproportionality of the disparities in maternal health, including Black maternal morbidity, mortality, preterm birth and Black infant mortality. Melanin and Maternal Wellness (formerly, Melanin and Motherhood) aspires to strengthen our community by providing this platform, as a collective or our voices and experiences, empowers each of us, and strengthens our mission.

Melanin and Maternal Wellness Strengthens Executive Leadership to Advance Its Next ChapterBURLINGTON, N.J. — Melanin and...
07/31/2026

Melanin and Maternal Wellness Strengthens Executive Leadership to Advance Its Next Chapter

BURLINGTON, N.J. — Melanin and Maternal Wellness proudly announces an exciting new chapter in its organizational journey as Founder Crystal Charley will now serve as Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, while nationally recognized birth justice advocate Toshira Maldonado joins the organization as Chief Operating Officer.

As Melanin and Maternal Wellness continues to deepen its impact, the organization is intentionally evolving its leadership structure to support its next chapter. This transition reflects a commitment to sustainable leadership, organizational excellence, and strengthening the community that has always been at the heart of its mission.

Since its founding, Melanin and Maternal Wellness has grown from a grassroots vision into a trusted voice for Black maternal health, birth justice, reproductive justice, civic engagement, and systems change throughout New Jersey. Along the way, it has become more than an organization. It has become a village.

For years, Founder Crystal Charley and Toshira Maldonado have intentionally chosen collaboration over competition, partnership over silos, and village over individual recognition.

Together, through the Melanin W.O.M.B. initiatives, a collaborative body of work that intentionally united the missions, strengths, and communities of their respective organizations, they demonstrated what is possible when Black women leaders choose to build alongside one another rather than apart.

Through Civic Engagement Dinners, community education, advocacy, and other community-rooted initiatives, they have stood shoulder to shoulder with families, birth workers, advocates, and community leaders in advancing birth and reproductive justice across New Jersey.

Their partnership has long reflected a shared belief that lasting change requires collective leadership, mutual investment, and organizations that work with one another, not around one another.
Together, they have spent years organizing in community, building in village, and modeling the collaborative leadership they believe is essential to advancing birth equity.

This leadership evolution is not the beginning of their partnership. It is the next chapter of it.

“This role reflects the natural evolution of my leadership as Founder,” said Charley. “From the very beginning, Melanin and Maternal Wellness was never intended to be built around one individual. It was created to build a movement. As our organization continues to grow, I believe our leadership must grow alongside it.

This next chapter strengthens our organization while remaining deeply rooted in the values that have guided us from day one: community, collaboration, and village.”

Joining Charley in this next chapter is Toshira Maldonado, who will serve as Chief Operating Officer.

Maldonado is the Founder of Most Beautiful W.O.M.B., a nationally recognized birth justice advocate, policy strategist, nonprofit executive, and community builder who serves on numerous state and national maternal health leadership bodies focused on advancing Black maternal health policy and systems change. She brings extensive experience in organizational leadership, maternal health advocacy, operational excellence, and coalition building across New Jersey and beyond.

“The appointment of Toshira is about far more than adding an executive leader,” Charley said. “It reflects years of shared purpose, trusted partnership, and movement building. She understands this work because she has lived this work. She has helped shape this work. She has been in village with us, and there is no one I trust more to help steward Melanin and Maternal Wellness into its next chapter.”

Maldonado shared, “It is an incredible honor to step into this role during such an exciting season of growth for Melanin and Maternal Wellness. Crystal has cultivated something truly special, a community rooted in love, justice, accountability, and collective action. I look forward to continuing the work we’ve already built together while helping expand the organization’s impact for the families and communities we serve.”

This leadership evolution reflects something Melanin and Maternal Wellness has always believed: movements are strongest when leadership is shared, community is centered, and organizations intentionally create space for leaders to grow together.

This is more than a leadership transition.

It is an investment in the future of the village.

Founders plant seeds. Villages help them flourish.

Melanin and Maternal Wellness was never meant to depend on one person. It was always meant to cultivate a movement, one rooted in collective leadership, sustained by community, and strengthened by village. This next chapter honors the relationships, partnerships, and shared commitment that have brought us to this moment while ensuring that our vision, our mission, and our village continue to flourish for generations to come.

Yesterday, Melanin and Maternal Wellness proudly stood at the New Jersey State House in support of the John R. Lewis Vot...
05/22/2026

Yesterday, Melanin and Maternal Wellness proudly stood at the New Jersey State House in support of the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey.

We are deeply proud that our Lead Community Engagement Doula, Taylor Davis, represented our village in testimony, lifting up the urgent truth that our communities deserve access, dignity, representation, and power.

At Melanin and Maternal Wellness, we have always understood that birth justice is inseparable from civic engagement and policy advocacy. The same systems shaping maternal health outcomes are shaped by legislation, elections, and who has access to the ballot box.

Black families deserve more than survival. We deserve policies that protect us, investments that sustain us, and a democracy where our voices are not silenced by barriers to participation.

Taylor’s testimony reflected what we believe at our core: that advocacy is also an act of care. That showing up matters. That protecting our communities requires us to organize, educate, testify, vote, and build collective power.

This is what Black maternal health advocacy looks like beyond the clinic walls.

We also extend congratulations and deep gratitude to the courageous legislators and advocates who helped move this critical legislation successfully through committee yesterday. The bill now advances to Budget and Appropriations, bringing New Jersey one step closer to expanding voter access and strengthening democracy for all.

We are almost to the finish line.

We are proud to continue birthing justice in every room we enter.





Voting rights are Black maternal health issues.For Black communities, democracy has never been abstract. Our ancestors b...
05/21/2026

Voting rights are Black maternal health issues.

For Black communities, democracy has never been abstract. Our ancestors bled for it. Organized for it. Marched for it. Prayed for it. And still today, Black mothers continue fighting to survive within systems our votes help sustain.

The same systems that silence Black voters are often the same systems that underfund our communities, close maternity wards, ignore Black maternal mortality, strip healthcare access, weaken social protections, and force Black women to fight to survive pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum.

At Melanin and Maternal Wellness, we understand that birth justice and voting rights are both about dignity, power, survival, and the sacred right of Black families to exist fully and safely in this world.

Because our votes shape:
Whether hospitals remain open.
Whether Medicaid is protected.
Whether maternal health programs are funded.
Whether reproductive justice is protected.
Whether Black communities are heard — or deliberately pushed to the margins.

Black communities have carried this democracy on our backs for generations.

And we are still here.
Still organizing.
Still birthing.
Still resisting.
Still loving our people enough to fight for a future our babies deserve.

That is why Melanin and Maternal Wellness proudly supports the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey (A1715/S282).

As Congressman John Lewis reminded us:
“Democracy is not a state. It is an act.”

So we will act.
For our mothers.
For our babies.
For our communities.
For the generations still coming.

Protect the vote.
Protect Black communities.
Protect Black mothers.

🤎 TONIGHT AT 6PM 🤎Melanin and Maternal Wellness presents our FREE virtual breastfeeding class:✨ Melanin Mamas “Latched W...
05/18/2026

🤎 TONIGHT AT 6PM 🤎

Melanin and Maternal Wellness presents our FREE virtual breastfeeding class:
✨ Melanin Mamas “Latched With Love” ✨

Join us this evening for a two-hour culturally grounded breastfeeding education session facilitated by IBCLC Felicia Patten.

Whether you are preparing for birth, newly postpartum, currently breastfeeding, pumping, supporting a loved one, working as a birth worker, pursuing lactation education, or an aspiring IBCLC — this class is for you.

Topics include:
✔️ Latch and positioning
✔️ Feeding cues
✔️ Skin to skin
✔️ Pumping
✔️ Hand expression
✔️ Golden Hour
✔️ Breastfeeding after delivery
✔️ Nutrition and breastfeeding
…and more.

At Melanin and Maternal Wellness, we believe Black families, birth workers, and future lactation professionals deserve affirming, compassionate, community-centered education and support throughout every stage of the maternal journey.

🖥️ FREE Virtual Class
📅 Tonight | May 18, 2026
⏰ 6PM–8PM

Register now:
https://bit.ly/latchedwithlove

Please share with a mama, birthing person, birth worker, or future IBCLC who could benefit from this space. 🤎

This question did not leave the room with us.It followed us into reflection.Into conversation.Into accountability.Are ou...
04/22/2026

This question did not leave the room with us.

It followed us into reflection.
Into conversation.
Into accountability.

Are our investments reaching the organizations with proximity to community or proximity to power?

Because proximity to community builds trust.
And trust is where real change begins.

Last week, we gathered leaders, advocates, and funders in one room to listen, learn, and reflect on what it truly means to resource Black led and community aligned maternal health solutions.

Now the question moves beyond the room.

And the answers will be revealed in how resources move next.

Honoring Sona Smith — a birth worker, a leader, and a woman walking in the footsteps of those who came before her.In her...
04/21/2026

Honoring Sona Smith — a birth worker, a leader, and a woman walking in the footsteps of those who came before her.

In her words, she gave thanks to Mama , who blessed her hands, and to the ancestors Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsy — whose legacy continues to shape the work we carry forward.

This is what birth justice looks like.
Rooted in lineage.
Guided by purpose.
Carried with responsibility.

We are grateful for her voice, her leadership, and her call to action.

One week ago, we gathered in community for Ubuntu Birth Justice 2026: The Blueprint is Black — Resourcing Leadership in ...
04/21/2026

One week ago, we gathered in community for Ubuntu Birth Justice 2026: The Blueprint is Black — Resourcing Leadership in Birth Justice.

What unfolded in that room was not just conversation — it was clarity.

At the center of that moment was a powerful charge from our keynote speaker, Sona Smith, whose words continue to echo:

“Philanthropy, take a learning posture. Trust Black women. Listen to them. Follow their lead.”
— Sona Smith

That message landed in a room filled with leaders, advocates, and funders — individuals with the power to influence how resources move and how communities are sustained.

And one question continues to rise — a question we asked in the room, and one we hope continues to travel beyond it:

Are we funding those with proximity to power — or those with proximity to community?

Because proximity to community is where trust is built.
It is where solutions live.
It is where lives are changed.

⸻

We extend deep gratitude to our sponsors and partners:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey
NAACP New Jersey State Conference

Thank you to our phenomenal keynote, Sona Smith, and to our powerful panelists whose leadership reflects daily commitment to families and communities.

And to the funders who were in the room — thank you for showing up, for listening, and for leaning into the call.

Because the future of Black maternal health will not be shaped by conversation alone.

It will be shaped by where resources go next.

Ubuntu reminds us:

I am because we are.

The blueprint is already here.
Now it’s time to resource it.





Just a few seats left.Tomorrow, we gather for a powerful conversation during Black Maternal Health Week — one that cente...
04/13/2026

Just a few seats left.

Tomorrow, we gather for a powerful conversation during Black Maternal Health Week — one that centers leadership, investment, and the future of Black maternal health.

Ubuntu Birth Justice 2026: The Blueprint is Black — Resourcing Leadership in Birth Justice brings together national leadership, trusted community voices, and philanthropic partners committed to moving resources where they are needed most.

Registration will close at 10:00 AM tomorrow.

If you’ve been thinking about attending — this is your moment.

Tuesday, April 14, 2026
11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — Princeton, NJ
Lunch served upon arrival

Register now:
https://www.melaninandmaternalwellness.org/event-details/ubuntu-birth-justice-2026-the-blueprint-is-black-resourcing-leadership-in-birth-justice

The blueprint is already here.
Now it’s time to resource it.

Black Doula Day — Melanin & Maternal Wellness®Happy Black Doula Day 🖤Today, we give thanks for the healing hands of our ...
04/12/2026

Black Doula Day — Melanin & Maternal Wellness®

Happy Black Doula Day 🖤

Today, we give thanks for the healing hands of our doulas at Melanin & Maternal Wellness® and for Black doulas everywhere who show up for families with strength, compassion, and community aligned care.

We honor the way you hold space.
The way you advocate.
The way you protect dignity and remind families that they are worthy of respectful, culturally grounded support.

Our work is sacred.

Today also marks the beginning of Black Maternal Health Week, and this year’s theme—Rooted in Justice and Joy—reflects exactly who you are.

Our doulas are rooted in justice—showing up at the bedside when voices need to be heard and carrying that advocacy beyond birth and into the systems that shape outcomes.

And our doulas are rooted in joy—restoring confidence, connection, and celebration in moments that families will carry for a lifetime.

At Melanin & Maternal Wellness®, we thank you for the healing work of your hands and the strength of your voices. Because of you, birth justice lives—at the bedside and at the State House.

Happy Black Doula Day.
We honor you. We celebrate you. We thank you. 🖤

Powered by Black doulas. Always.





The room is being prepared.The table is being set.The voices are gathering.Now we need you in the room.Ubuntu Birth Just...
04/10/2026

The room is being prepared.
The table is being set.
The voices are gathering.

Now we need you in the room.

Ubuntu Birth Justice 2026 is not just another event. It is a space where truth is spoken, solutions are shared, and Black leadership in maternal health is lifted, resourced, and protected.

This is where birth workers, advocates, policymakers, funders, and community leaders come together to move the work forward. Not someday. Not later. Now.

If you have been thinking about registering, this is your moment.

If you believe in birth justice, this is your room.

If you care about the future of Black maternal health, your presence matters here.

Do not sit this one out.

Register today and stand in community with those building what comes next.

🔗 Register here:
https://www.melaninandmaternalwellness.org/event-details/ubuntu-birth-justice-2026-the-blueprint-is-black-resourcing-leadership-in-birth-justice

Address

Burlington, NJ

Telephone

+16092322347

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Melanin and Maternal Wellness posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Melanin and Maternal Wellness:

Shortcuts

Share

Category