Our Founder

Crystal D. Charley is a nationally recognized birth justice advocate, policy strategist, and movement leader working at the intersection of Black maternal health, housing justice, and civic engagement.

As Founder and Executive Director of Melanin and Maternal Wellness, Crystal has built a village rooted organization advancing Black maternal wellness through birth justice advocacy, policy education, culturally centered care, leadership development, and healing centered community initiatives. Her work bridges lived experience and systems change, connecting Black families and birth workers to the policies, resources, and collective power needed to transform maternal health outcomes and strengthen Black communities.

Crystal currently serves as Policy Manager at Fair Share Housing Center, where she advances statewide housing justice policy focused on equity, affordability, tenant protections, and dismantling systemic barriers to opportunity across New Jersey. She also serves as Second Vice President of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference and Chair of the Women in NAACP Committee, helping lead statewide advocacy efforts centered on racial justice, civic engagement, and community empowerment.

A Certified SMC Full Circle Doula Birth Companion and Childbirth Educator, Crystal grounds her work in Birth Justice and Reproductive Justice frameworks created through the leadership and scholarship of Black women. Her advocacy is informed by the belief that Black maternal health cannot be separated from housing, economic justice, voting rights, environmental conditions, and the policies that shape whether Black families are able to survive and thrive.

Crystal is the creator of the Asè Toolkit®, co author of My Black Health is Beautiful, and founder of initiatives including Black Birth on the Ballot™, which connects civic participation to Black maternal health outcomes and policy change. Her leadership has been recognized through fellowships, statewide coalitions, and community partnerships dedicated to advancing equity, healing, and liberation for Black families.

At the center of Crystal’s work is a simple but urgent belief: Black families deserve more than survival. They deserve safety, dignity, wellness, joy, and the power to shape the systems that impact their lives.