We are in the midst of a revolution. The world has forever changed, and we hope that it will never be the same again. While Fashion Mamas has always been proud of its diversity efforts, led by myself, a woman of color (Latinx), I admit that we could be doing much better to ensure that all creative mothers feel seen in our events, on our stages, in our photos, and on our membership roster.

I am committed to making long-term internal changes, and knew that I couldn’t do this alone — even with my existing small but mighty team. With that said, we’re proud to announce our official Fashion Mamas Diversity Committee, consisting of seven FM members who all offer a unique perspective and voice that we will bring into the fold of our internal actions moving forward. FMDC will ensure that we follow through with our long-term diversity plan and anti-racism efforts, so that no matter how busy business gets or how soon the world forgets, we will continue to follow through with our promise of making Fashion Mamas the most inclusive members-only community for dynamic and diverse mothers in creative industries.

Please learn more about our FM Diversity Committee below, and know that while we are excited to work alongside these inspiring women, our goal is to continue growing our committee to offer even more representation within our community, including support for trans mothers and mothers with disabilities. Thank you for growing with us, and believing in us!

Mama: Naima Petz

What are the names and ages of your little ones?
Amelie (10), Indiana (8), and Lucienne (6)

What are some of the many hats that you wear, career-wise?
I document my family's journey as full time travelers over at Joy Chasers. I also run the social media department of my husbands advertising agency. My real passion is activism for birthing persons rights (particularly homebirth), exposing/preventing/healing birth related trauma, improving maternal and fetal outcomes for POC, supporting minority and indigenous midwives, and healthcare as a human right (especially within indigenous, marginalized and undocumented communities).

What unique representation and perspective will you bring the FM Diversity Committee?
My personal background is that of a first generation American of Black, hispanic, indigenous, and European descent. To top it off, we were vegetarian Hindus who moved every year or two due to my dad's schooling and career. Not fitting in in any community taught me early to build my own communities, and contributed greatly to the choice to raise my kids as third culture kids.

What is one of your favorite diversity resources for adults or kids, or both?
One of my favorite diversity resources will always be The Conscious Kid. Accessible to everyone, across all lines and ages.

Besides joining our FMDC, do you have any special projects coming up that you'd like to share?
We were getting ready to explore 16 countries in 8 months the week before North/South America borders started closing. Seriously grateful that we pumped the brakes and chose to ride things out in Mexico. This leg will probably have to stay closed for now, but I am eagerly waiting for visas to begin being issued so that we can complete a move to France. I'll have some more fun projects to share once that leg of our journey is underway.

Mama: Jo Allen

What are the names and ages of your little ones?
Sierra (6) and Alexa (8).

What are some of the many hats that you wear, career-wise?
I am a full time California artist known for my ink and watercolor work. I am also the author and illustrator of "The Accidental Naturalist" line of superfine coloring books celebrating our state's native species. Just for fun, I design personal and spiritual fine jewelry for private clients. I hold a Masters degree in Sustainability Management, so I have also been called upon to help brands with their fight against climate change through whole systems design.

What unique representation and perspective will you bring the FM Diversity Committee?
I am an immigrant and a Chinese American mother of two. Before I became a mother (and lost my identity for a few years), I was a sustainability advisor fighting climate change, but was always deeply uncomfortable with the lack of representation within the movement. Environmental justice and social justice are intimately linked, so I am very excited to use the tools and resources I learned as an environmental advocate to create change in the BIPOC community. I am looking forward to using my voice to lift the voices of all BIPOC mothers.

What is one of your favorite diversity resources for adults or kids, or both?
I am still learning and listening, but so far I really connect with the work that Rachel Cargle does and I refer to Yes Magazine for insightful articles on social issues.

Besides joining our FMDC, do you have any special projects coming up that you'd like to share?
While I am always excited to create artwork for brands that I love - I am most excited to share two things: 1) I'll be co-chairing the Diversity Committee at our local public school (and have a looooooong list of action items to share!) 2) My dear friend and I will be launching a platform to celebrate the sisterhood between ALL women called SISTERS DIVINE. Stay tuned!

Mama: Jesyka Harris

What are the names and ages of your little ones?
Eukiah, age 2

What are some of the many hats that you wear, career-wise?
The first hat I wear is as an Attorney with a legal practice focusing on corporate litigation, cannabis licensing, regulation & compliance, and human rights activism. My background in the human rights space spans my entire life and the issues I personally champion are refugee and immigrant rights, anti-human trafficking, access to land reform, women’s health and development, ending homelessness, racial equality and supporting disabled American Veterans. I have worked in different sectors ranging from private non-profits to the U.S. State Department, the United Nations in Switzerland and the Legal Resources Centre in South Africa.

Paralleling my legal and activism career, I am also a Fashion Model based out of Los Angeles. Growing up in the industry, there was a dire lack of mixed skin tones and faces like mine. I was often tokenized and wanted to challenge the implicitly biased beauty standard. In an effort to transform this aspect of the industry from the inside, I mentored young women of color in navigating the fashion world and created an informal modeling agency to help them access more opportunities. As a new Mom, my modeling career is evolving into the influencer space where I create social media content for brands and speak on different panels.

What unique representation and perspective will you bring the FM Diversity Committee?
Every day of my life I am asked, “What are you?” It is one of the most vexing parts of being a multiracial person. The benefit of inhabiting multiple racial contexts is that I learned how to navigate divergent racial identities and how to connect with every person’s human experience. I SEE in color, I live in color and I thrive in color. This deeply developed empathy and compassion is my superpower. I am privileged in that my community is multicultural, and this is by design. As early as elementary school, I didn’t simply befriend people who were different in some way, rather I immersed myself in their cultures and traditions in order to understand their unique struggles and social structures. By college, I was a full blown activist sitting on every possible diversity committee, demonstrating for human rights causes, and celebrating traditions with people from every race and ethnicity. Through the struggle to develop my own clear sense of identity, I tried to find myself reflected in others. By not fitting neatly into one racial box, I developed the flexibility to see people as more than just a demographic. While I was always told to choose one race or another, ultimately, I learned to choose myself and how to find acceptance in wholeness, rather than division and categorization. I am not ½ Black, ¼ Native American, ¼ White. I am all 3 in their entirety. Nevertheless, I self-identify as a Black Woman and as a Biracial Woman, and I use these terms seamlessly. I am acknowledged and accepted by the Black community but I am constantly called to demonstrate my authenticity, and justly so.

Today, I believe that my privilege as a light-skinned Black Woman comes with a great responsibility. I have had more power and access across the board and I have been shielded from some of the violence that others in my family and my community have suffered, simply because I am seen as less threatening or dangerous than other Black people. The injustices I have suffered were not nearly as harsh or direct as the undermining and outright dismissal of darker skinned Black people. Decentering light-skinned identity is decentering whiteness and I am dismantling my own privilege by speaking up and amplifying other Black voices. Multiracial people are often the intermediaries, the translators across communication bridges. During this immediate period of transformation and awakening for Americans, I want to continue to be that voice of inclusion - direct but also compassionate. I want to share my experiences in a way that people feel activated to change.

My son will always pass as white. I purposely gave him the middle name “Malcolm” after my favorite Civil Rights Activist, Malcolm X. Malcolm had the audacity to challenge the system in a way that made people uncomfortable. My challenge now will be modeling and teaching my son the tools he will need to use his privilege for social justice.

What is one of your favorite diversity resources for adults or kids, or both?
Podcasts:

Code Switch - NPR
About Race
The Breakdown with Shaun King - Author of “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race”

Instagram:

@Inclusivestorytime has great book lists for kids of all ages

@bethebridgebuilder racial literacy organization

@TheConsciousKid - Parenting & Education Resources

Besides joining our FMDC, do you have any special projects coming up that you'd like to share?
I am always volunteering with organizations in Los Angeles and can share these projects on an ongoing basis. Currently, I am doing pro bono work with the National Lawyers Guild to represent protestors who were arrested and abused due to a dispersal order.

I am also co-creating a platform to connect vetted nonprofits and influencers who want to create campaigns together. Typically, nonprofits have no budget for influencer marketing to get the exposure they deserve. The aim is to help nonprofits develop in-depth relationships with influencers and in turn, make it very turn-key for influencers/talent to bring social good into their respective communities. There will also be a kids corner with ideas on ways to volunteer with families as well as a vetted brand section. We will be announcing it in the coming weeks. Please reach out if you would like to join us!

Mama: Jacky Velasquez

What are the names and ages of your little ones?
Micah (9) and Lucah (3)

What are some of the many hats that you wear, career-wise?
Besides being a mommy of 2 and a homeschool guide for Micah, I am the owner and creator of my brand MCLC. MCLC was created to empower women, mothers and all beings alike. A percentage from every purchase is donated to non-profit organizations. I also wear the hat of an advocate for social justice. It’s important to show and bring awareness to the injustices that happen in this world. I feel it is my part to empower others and rise up against these injustices by spreading awareness and donating to non-profits.

I also freelance with an amazing and very unique footwear company Called YRU (Youth Rise Up). I am one of the designers to come up with the wild platform shoes for the past 6 years.

As crazy as it sounds, I do everything from home. So as you can imagine, my day to day is extremely busy. However, I am extremely grateful that I can work at my own pace as well as raise my two wonderful boys.

What unique representation and perspective will you bring the FM Diversity Committee?
A little background about myself. I am a 1st generation American, meaning both my parents were born and raised in Guatemala and came to the U.S. in their 20s. I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I grew up in a Latin American household with my first language being Spanish.

I was raised by my mom most of my teenage and adult life. She was a full time working woman and mother of 3, who started working in factories and made her way to working in a financial branch of the fashion industry. I’ve learned to be a strong, independent, hardworking, loving woman from her.

When I was very young, I remember seeing my dad struggle with a language barrier to pass his Dental State Board Exam, while my mother worked full time at a plastic bag factory. They were both hard workers and never gave up on “The American Dream.” Now, my dad is doing great with his business and my mom has been working on the financial side of the fashion industry for over 25 years.

I would be more than honored, not only to represent a platform and diverse community of women and mothers, but to also represent the Latinx community in Fashion Mamas. I have always been a person who is extremely outspoken, a fighter, and a hard worker, making the FM Diversity Committee a great fit for me.

What is one of your favorite diversity resources for adults or kids, or both?
As a parent, I strongly believe that knowledge is one of the biggest resources. I try to educate myself, read, and bring awareness as much as possible. I try to teach my little ones to question “facts,” to be opinionated, but also to love and appreciate the human diversity out there. I think it’s extremely important to speak to our kids about inequalities and ultimately how we can fight it.

Here are some resources I have recently found that are absolutely amazing:

Diversity Books for Kids

https://bookriot.com/2018/09/19/childrens-books-about-diversity/

Sesame Street Racism Town Hall

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/06/app-news-section/cnn-sesame-street-race-town-hall-app-june-6-2020-app/index.html

Anti-Racism Books for Kids:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/parenting/kids-books-racism-protest.html

Angela Davis Podcast

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4LsP9Fcfyln6GOh8GwYDkT?si=lq0gfbCLQmqy2F4ipsVVmg

There Goes The Neighborhood

https://open.spotify.com/show/7xlG5ukrpctm5RuzBVIAPz?si=dP5CMB3VS7SNseq5jQaZ6w

Besides joining our FMDC, do you have any special projects coming up that you'd like to share?
Yes! I have recently added a donation system to my website that will forever be up. A percentage of EVERY item qualifies for a donation to a non-profit organization of your choice. When I started MCLC, I vowed to always give back to my community no matter what. This includes the BIPOC community, LGBTQ+ community, and other intersectional communities that are deeply marginalized. I am a strong believer that one person can make a difference. We need to make a change, we need to start a revolution, not only for us, but also to better our children’s lives.

Mama: Dominique Clayton

What are the names and ages of your little ones?
Leena-Deen (8), Naima (6), Frankie (4)

What are some of the many hats that you wear, career-wise?
I'm the founder of Dominique Gallery, a local art gallery and project space. I also work as Manager, Founding Director's Office at The Broad. And when time permits, I pour into my true passion which is writing. I've worked as a freelance arts and culture writer and am a frequent contributor to LALA Magazine, Cultured Magazine, and Sugarcane Magazine. Before working in the arts, I spent over 10 years working in film and television production so I'm no stranger to bold career moves.

What unique representation and perspective will you bring the FM Diversity Committee?
Having dedicated a large part of my career to increasing representation in the media and the arts, I am well versed in open and sometimes challenging conversations around diversity and inclusion. I'm also sensitive to my sisters of color and understand how important it is to protect and support their space and their intellectual and emotional labor around these issues. Oftentimes we're placed in positions of having to educate and inform others of how to act and modify their structures to include us. I also believe it's important to give ourselves a break and let others do that work on their own. It's exhausting enough being on the receiving end of discrimination.

What is one of your favorite diversity resources for adults or kids, or both?
Watching old Hollywood films will really give you an idea of how people operated back in the day and how far we've come. Many were so whitewashed and sexist and many still are to this day. It's a little unorthodox, but Blaxploitation cinema really informed my worldview which is probably why I'm a badass mama these days! I wouldn't recommend watching with your little ones right now, but it does make for some good grown-up viewing and conversation. I think all the books by Vashti Harrison should be a family friendly staple in every household.

Besides joining our FMDC, do you have any special projects coming up that you'd like to share?
I'm working hard with my team at the museum to figure out how to safely reopen to the public after COVID-19. With the gallery, I'm hosting a series of artist residencies to support artists of color who need physical space to work in LA where affordable space is hard to come by. I'm also launching a Spotlight Series highlighting diverse photographers throughout the summer and early fall.

Mama: Jella Roson

What are the names and ages of your little ones?
Hannah (7) and Luke (1)

What are some of the many hats that you wear, career-wise?
I am the founder, designer and metalsmith behind honey my heart-- a jewelry inspired by love and identity. Currently, I am attempting to balance creating a small collection of thoughtful pieces and running a conscious jewelry line in the midst of a pandemic and revolution, moderating my daughter's distance learning/home school (summer is almost here!), nurturing my son, and continually trying to learn to be a better ally in the fight against racism.

What unique representation and perspective will you bring the FM Diversity Committee?
As a daughter of immigrants and an immigrant myself, I am a Filipina American who was born in Manila, Philippines and grew up in Glendale, CA. I would like to acknowledge that I live on Tongva land (Tongva are the Native Americans who are indigenous to Southern California and the southern Channel Islands). My roots have always been something that have defined me and after taking one elective class on the subject, I chose to major in Asian American Studies in college where I found the importance of learning and sharing our stories. US History classes in K-12 barely touch the surface of the impact and importance of BIPOC in America, and teaching Ethnic Studies in school is vital. I believe that when we find our identity and our stories reflected back at us, we can find belonging. I try to stay active in the Filipina/o/x American community in Los Angeles by attending events/pop ups and supporting my fellow creatives, am a huge supporter and fan of the Asian American Girl Club, and am trying to learn and grow in my advocacy for all.

What is one of your favorite diversity resources for adults or kids, or both?
Books have always helped us learn and grow. We are loving these children's books right now: "Little Heroes of Color: 50 Who Made a BIG Difference" by David Heredia, "An ABC of Equality" by Chana Ginelle Ewing, and "A is for Activist" by Innosanto Nagara. And "I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir" by Malaka Gharib is a beautiful story of coming of age as a bi-racial Filipina Egyptian American in LA and beyond. It's fun and relatable, specific in detail yet universal in meaning, with culture mixed in. The book has given my daughter a special understanding of her Filipino culture as well as broadened her understanding of other cultures in a way that she can see a woman in cultural dress, dynamics of families, or notice a certain cuisine and find meaning and beauty in diversity.

Besides joining our FMDC, do you have any special projects coming up that you'd like to share?
Over the last 2 years I have been working on my arts and culture website, in the heart stories. It is a journal, a collection of narratives and work that highlight and celebrate Filipina/o/x American entrepreneurs, creatives, and leaders. The aim of the website to tackle our lack of visibility and representation in mainstream media and pop culture by showcasing individuals and groups that put in the work, that shape their own realities. While I'm based in Los Angeles, in the heart stories features Fil Ams all over the US. It is about community, sharing the stories and the love.

Mama: Shun Moore

What are the names and ages of your little ones?
Isaiah (Is) 11yrs (Next month), Amya (My) 8yrs, and Marlo (Mars) 1yr

What are some of the many hats that you wear, career-wise?
I studied early childhood development and worked in early education for eight years until I we had Mars. I am now a stay at home mom that is running a small business, Marlo Bea. My goal as a mother and business owner is to intentionally promote cultural diversity, identity and self empowerment.

What unique representation and perspective will you bring the FM Diversity Committee?
I am an Asian/Pacific Islander and Black mama. My husband and I are raising a blended family. When we met I had a son (who is white, black and Asian/Pacific Islander), my husband had a daughter (who is Mexican and Black), and later we had Mars. I was a low income single mama when we met and my husband was a single father with sole custody, I adopted his daughter and while my son's father is still around, my husband takes complete responsibility and care for our son. This story can go on longer, but my point is that I come from a very diverse background and although I am not perfect, I am very aware and bring various perspectives to every situation. I am so happy to be a part of this team.

What is one of your favorite diversity resources for adults or kids, or both?
I believe all books/podcasts etc. that highlight all people and various humans are great and should be intentional. I don’t think it’s specific to one, but more so just learning about what’s out there and hearing different perspectives. If anything I believe that social media should be minimized and more discussions and interactions with people should come first.

Besides joining our FMDC, do you have any special projects coming up that you'd like to share?
I am always working on ways to promote the mission of my business, and next is Juneteenth (Friday, June 19th). Learn more about Juneteenth’s history here: https://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm

Introducing Our Fashion Mamas Diversity Committee