FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: BROWN MAMAS STAFF MEMBERS NIYA KNIGHT, CHRISTINA GILES-PEARSON, KIONA WILLIAMS, CRYSTAL JACKSON, CHETIA HURTT, MUFFY MENDOZA (FRONT CENTER IN LONG PINK SWEATER), SYLVIA HANES, BETH BURTON, ALLEGRA BATTLE, LISA PICKETT | PHOTO BY SHANELL LAMERE

Black moms from around Pittsburgh — and the nation — are gathering this weekend to shine a spotlight on what it means to be a Black mother. 

Brown Mamas was founded by CEO Muffy Medoza in 2012 to bring together other Black moms she could relate to; she had just moved back to Pittsburgh from New York City and was looking for community and support. 

Brown Mamas has been hosting public events for 10 years, including this year’s seventh annual Brown Mamas Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, July 27-28.

What started as small meetings in Medoza’s living room has grown into a community of more than 6,400 Black mothers in Pittsburgh — and 10,000 around the nation. 

Brown Mamas Weekend has had as many as 200 participants in past years. This year the event is expected to have 150 participants.

“It’s not about the number as much as it is about just providing the safe space…” says Medoza, a mother of three. “Providing a safe space so moms can celebrate what it means to be Black, and be a Black mother.” 

Brown Mamas Weekend will be held at Dowtown’s August Wilson African American Cultural Center. The event will feature narratives from Black mothers and performing artists, a wellness summit and a Brown Mamas marketplace featuring products from Black mom’s businesses.  

Day One: Saturday, July 27

Brown Mama Monologues Hosted by local filmstar and activist Lamman Rucker.

Day Two: Sunday, July 28

Womb, Wealth and Wellness Summit: Experts like Cassandra Cummings from the Stocks Stilettos Society and Latham Thomas from New York City talk about health, wealth and holistic well-being.

Tickets can be purchased here. 

“This is an event that we are hoping to not just sit around and discuss all the problems that black mothers have, but to actually focus on some of the things that we’re doing right,” says Mendoza. “To actually focus on how we can solve our problems, and not so much just re-hash all the problems that exist in Black America.” 

Mendoza hopes Brown Mamas can expand its community in the future but also wants to keep bringing mothers to Pittsburgh. 

“My goal is that a mom will be able to come in from another region, and she’ll be able to utilize the brown woman’s community to aid in her thriving,” she says.