Actress Tatyana Ali Joins Dallas Activists At Second Black Moms Fair

Nearly everyone’s heard the colloquialism “it takes a village” to raise a child. On Saturday, Dallas entrepreneur Stephanie Bauchum put that concept into action with the Black Moms Fair, a one-day event aiming to connect Black women to various maternal resources.

The event, which was focused on a theme of "honoring Black mothers through community and connection,” allowed Baucham to fill a gap she noticed in her community.

 ”Working as a nanny, I found that there were a lot of families, especially Black families, who did not have community — they didn't know about doulas, midwives,” said Bauchum, founder of a nanny service called The Mtoto Agency. “This is a void that really needs to be filled.”

In Texas, Black women experience the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths and complications. Bauchum sought to create a safe space for Black women to find solutions, share their stories and connect with other moms. She plans to take the Black Moms Fair beyond Texas, too.

An Instagram post for the event — and a need to beat the punishing heat — led Dallas mom Brandi Rogers and her 11-year-old son to Concord Church for the resource fair.

“ It was one of those opportunities for me to come together and get outside during the summer that does not involve the heat,” Rogers said. “It was great that it catered to not just Black moms, but allowed us to bring our families with us as well, so that way we can all have the experience.”

Childcare services were included with admission, allowing moms the peace of mind to browse the vendor market, observe medical demonstrations, attend panels and chat with fellow attendees. There were also "mommy and me" sessions so kids could get involved, too.

Actress and advocate Tatyana Ali joined Bauchum for an intimate fireside chat to commence the day's agenda. Ali shared her maternal healthcare advocacy journey, which began about seven years ago following the traumatic birth of her first child. Terrified of having the same experience when she became pregnant with her second child, she went searching for answers. After Ali shared her story, the emcee asked audience members to participate in a call to action by standing up if they had an experience similar to Ali’s. About two-thirds of attendees rose to their feet.

“ A couple people told me, ‘I've never shared what happened to me. And standing up in that space was the first time I ever acknowledged it,’” Ali said.

The emphasis on strengthening support systems echoed throughout the day.

”We are oftentimes in isolation and made to believe in this modern culture that we're supposed to be doing it by ourselves and knowing all these things by ourselves,” Ali said. “ But that's not true [...]. We're supposed to have each other; we're supposed to be in community and have a village.”

Ali, who gained notoriety portraying Ashley Banks on the '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, launched her baby quilt business, Baby Yams, in 2024 and donated 100% of the first collection’s profits to Black and Indigenous birth workers.

“ There's a whole army of reproductive justice warriors, activists, doctors, midwives [and] doulas doing this work. It's been going on for decades for you,” Ali told us. “ All I do is amplify the work that those reproductive justice advocates and activists have been doing.  I'm just bringing whatever I have to the table.”

The actress brought her carefully crafted quilts to the fair in Dallas, displaying the vibrant patterns among the dozens of vendors, which included local Black businesses, mental health providers, educators and birth workers. Bauchum hosted the first Black Moms Fair in November of last year, as she sought to create a holistic experience by keeping the entire family support system in the conversation.

 ”The whole idea was to build a community of resources for Black moms, Black caregivers, Black doctors, therapists, homeschool moms, Black dads, who I really had heart for because a lot of times they're overlooked, too,” Bauchum said.
Saturday’s final sessions included an intimate conversation featuring Black fathers, and a Matriarchs’ Wisdom panel, where women doled out heartfelt stories and advice on navigating the different stages of parenting — from motherhood to grandparent-hood.

“ Remember who you are [...] the strong lineage of Black women or African women that have come before you,” said panelist Akwete Tyehimba, owner of Dallas’ Pan-African Connection Bookstore and Resource Center. “ Remember who you are and you will be fine.”

As the event wound down, Rogers posed in front of a balloon arch alongside her cousin, whose 6-year-old twins were in tow.

 "For our kids to be able to see this environment was really good,” Rogers said. “My son, he's 11, he even brought it up. He said, ‘there are so many Black women here.’ Correct.  And the kids don't wanna leave, so that's a really good thing.”