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The Motherboard exists so that Black moms and families lead the movement for change, not just as participants, but as decision makers in shaping policies that create a ripple effect to ensure our communities thrive with dignity, safety, and support.
The Motherboard exists so that Black moms and families lead the movement for change, not just as participants, but as decision makers in shaping policies that create a ripple effect to ensure our communities thrive with dignity, safety, and support.
MotherBoard is a community-led advisory collaborative of Black mothers with young children based in Los Angeles County, working statewide to reshape the policies, programs, and systems that impact Black maternal and infant health. We are leaders, organizers, and change agents reclaiming power in a landscape that has too often failed Black families.
Rooted in healing, equity, and shared power, MotherBoard elevates lived experience as a critical expertise. Our members bring firsthand knowledge of navigating historically inequitable and racist systems. We advocate for better care, and cultivate joy and creativity inspired by motherhood and community. We use that knowledge to challenge the status quo and co-create public systems that are more just, accountable, and community-centered.
To date we have partnered with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Department of Health Services, the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Initiative, and a range of community organizations to ensure Black voices are centered in decision-making. Together, we build strategies, shift narratives, and hold systems accountable to the communities they serve.
Through deep collaboration, bold advocacy, and unwavering commitment to justice, MotherBoard transforms maternal and infant health outcomes, and the structures that shape them. Our work sits at the intersection of policy, healing, and movement building, with a clear goal: a world where Black mothers and babies thrive with dignity, safety, and support.
Our History: The Birth of the MotherBoard
Our History: The Birth of the MotherBoard
The MotherBoard was born from love, strategy, and a bold vision: to center the voices and leadership of Black mothers in shaping the systems and policies that impact their lives. Co-founded by Diamond Lee and TaVia Wooley, the MotherBoard emerged from a desire to move beyond traditional advisory models toward true community-led governance.
MotherBoard members are not volunteers, they are paid consultants whose lived experience is not only honored but compensated. This model creates economic opportunity while ensuring that the people most impacted by maternal health inequities are leading the work to solve them. Every MotherBoard member is a co-designer of the model itself, blending deep personal insight with strategic decision-making to transform how power is shared.
Today, the MotherBoard is a living model of what’s possible when community voice is centered and valued both morally and materially. We partner across public, private, and philanthropic sectors to shift power, improve outcomes, and create systems that are more just, equitable, and accountable.
Its growth and impact continue to be nurtured by an intentional network of collaborators and early champions, including:
Diamond Lee, MotherBoard Co-Founder, Director and Designer, Owner of Liberation by Design
TaVia Wooley, MotherBoard Co-Founder, Executive Director of Empower Them Collective
Kamina Smith, Founder and Principal, Kyndle Consulting Group
Dhaujee Rose, Founder and Principal, Dhaujee Mind + Body
Wenonah Valentine, Founder and Executive Director, i.D.R.E.A.M. for Racial Health Equity
Kaci Patterson, Co-Director, LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment
Damisha Jones, Senior Manager, MAMA’s Program - Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS)
Dr. Arleen Brown, CTSI Co-Director
Dr. Savanna Carson, Associate Director, Community Engagement and Research Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH)
Adjoa Jones Bureau, Birth Equity Unit Chief, AAIMM Director
Dr. Melissa Franklin, MCAH Director
Dr. Deborah Allen, Retired Deputy Director of Health Promotion
Katherine Mack, Retired PIF Manager
Looking for Photos? View the MotherBoard Family Affair event photos here
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