Congratulations! After tallying all the nominations, we’re excited to let you know that MoM has officially advanced to the voting round for Best of the Bay 2025!
Last year, over 5 million impressions on the voting website alone for Best of TB. Won’t you join us in making m/otherhood more visible? See a few of our current stats: From Google 30k have viewed our photos, 25k in grant funds released to the Museum of Motherhood for work in the Health, Education and Wellness arena, 5 new Executive Board Members join MoM for a total of 9 Board Members, and four high school interns celebrate paid work with us this summer with extensive programming each month.
Remember: Voting is from July 17th through August 20th! Vote as many times as you can!
VOTE HERE LINK
Upcoming Events
MoM has a full roster of events and a new easily navigable calendar that includes art, health, wellness and education. Also, make sure to register to join us at our upcoming brunch and mini-conference in collaboration with FloridaRAMA. EVENTS PAGE IS HERE.
Lunch and Learn with MoM. The purpose of this mini-conference is to collaborate with local birth workers and healthcare professionals to understand the causes and correlates of challenges to Black women’s maternal health in order to implement changes in Pinellas county. This Museum of Motherhood event is sponsored by FloridaRAMA, organized by Jill M. Wood and the Health, Wellness, and Education Committee. This lunch and learn session will educate attendees about Black maternal health from a holistic perspective using the expertise of these presenters. REGISTER:
Jill M. Wood, PhD, Conference Chair is a Teaching Professor in the department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Penn State where she teaches courses on reproductive justice, girls and women’s health, women’s sexuality, and relationship & sexual violence prevention. As a researcher, Professor Wood has published journal articles and book chapters on the role of alcohol use in sexual behaviors with high HIV risk, menstruation and menopause, & pregnancy and childbirth. The mama of three teenagers, Jill regularly volunteers her time to talk with community students, parents, teachers and staff about relationship and sexual violence prevention, consent education, and healthy relationships. Jill was instrumental in assisting with guidance and advice for MoM’s Escape Womb Experience. She is also the academic coordinator and chair of the brunch and mini-conference Sept 21, 2025.
Courtney West a proud St. Petersburg native and the owner of 3 Gems Birth Services where everyone deserves care. Courtney is a full spectrum doula, doula educator, and a licensed practical nurse with a background in pediatric home health, and mental health nursing.
Shamella “Mel” Joy is a trauma-informed therapist, her background includes working with veterans and refugee families, providing her with extensive experience in helping clients process and heal from past traumas and PTSD. Mel integrate Mindfulness, Holistic Psychotherapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in her work with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, identity and self-esteem challenges, ADD/ADHD, and childhood trauma. Mel’s passion lies in supporting new parents grappling with the challenges of postpartum life, as well as those facing the uncertainties of fertility struggles and perinatal loss.
Tracie Williams is the proprietor of The Natal Network and the founder of Jehovah Rapha-Jireh Transformation Health Inc. She serves on the Health, Wellness and Education Committee at MOM. The Natal Network, a Tampa Bay-based maternal wellness doula service, was established to enhance maternal-fetal outcomes.
Tracy Cook-Person is a hoodoo practitioner, doula, folk Herbalist, educator, lecturer, professional storyteller and a published poet. She has been an Assistant Professor at LIU in the School of Education and Technology as well as an Instructor of Pedagogy and Clinical Practice for the TR@TC2 program in the Office of Teacher Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
About Museum of Motherhood (MoM)
Museum of Motherhood believes a more comprehensive understanding of pregnancy, birth and the value of caregiving-work will lead to healthier and happier homes, more productive workplaces, and better social policies. Our Black Maternal Health conference will specifically uplift the expertise and insight of Black practitioners working directly with the South St. Pete community. http://www.mommuseum.orgLINK to tix
Meet Our Board
MoM is so pleased to welcome five NEW Executive Board Members to our team. See bios and read more on our team page.
New Exhibit
Caring St. Pete: 6-Week Summer Intern Project Plan For High School Interns and Community members at the Museum of Motherhood
Project Overview: Explore and interpret the value of caregiving—both unpaid and paid (carework)—through research, storytelling, art, and community engagement. The final product will be a curated exhibit at the Museum of Motherhood. See exhibit page.
MoM Residency August
Sarah Nellis is a multidisciplinary, British artist, working freely across 2D, 3D and time-based media. She reflects on life’s cycles: birth, grief and personal transformation, questioning ideas of permanence and exploring the in-between spaces of change. She seeks to reassert maternal narratives often marginalized in cultural and political discourse.
AMPLIFY
MoM Directory
Motherhood & Matrescence is a resource for mothers. Supporting mums to feel more confident. Education services as well as a masterclass is for mothers of all ages and stages. Mothers of tinies, toddlers, tweens and teens. LINK
