The Bloustein School is pleased to present the 2022 Ruth Ellen Steinman Bloustein and Edward J. Memorial Lecture as the school’s inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Speakers Forum on Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.
Crystal D. Charley-Sibley, reproductive justice and civil rights activist and founder of Melanin and Motherhood will discuss, “A Millennial’s Activism: Breaking Intergenerational Barriers While Dismantling Systemic Racism in NJ.”
Dismantling NJ’s pervasive systemic racism is a fight that requires activists of all ages, skill sets, passions, vigor, and ideas. Yet even within the work of social justice, the challenges of building and sustaining an intergenerational movement can stifle progress. It is time to meet THIS multi-faceted, social justice movement of THIS moment with a multi-generational, multitude of activists… A multitude that embraces the voices of the future.
Ms. Charley-Sibley is a respected community organizer and advocate. The proud wife, and mother is also a patient advocate for Black maternal health, and the Founder of Melanin and Motherhood. Having endured a high-risk pregnancy, resulting in pre-eclampsia, an emergency cesarean, and preterm birth, it was this experience that led to the founding of Melanin and Motherhood in 2017. She created this platform for Black mothers to unify around their unique journey through motherhood. It is also through this platform and Salvation and Social Justice, Ms. Charley-Sibley advocates for policies and legislation that will address the tremendous disparities in Black maternal health, that too often result in high Black maternal morbidity, mortality, preterm birth, and Black infant mortality.
Having completed the Shafia Monroe Consulting (SMC) Full Circle Doula Birth Companion Certification program, Ms. Charley-Sibley is a Perinatal Doula, who provides comprehensive, continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to a mother/birthing person and father/partner, from beginning to end, giving prenatal and postpartum doula services. Her services are Afrocentric, holistic, and culturally sensitive.
Ms. Charley-Sibley currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative and is the former Maternal Justice Subcommittee Co-Chair for Thrive NJ. She is also the 2nd Vice President of the New Jersey State Conference NAACP, and Immediate Past President of the Southern Burlington County NAACP, where she currently serves as the Women in NAACP Chair.
The Ruth Ellen Steinman Bloustein and Edward J. Bloustein Memorial Lecture was established to honor the memory of these two extraordinary individuals. The lecture series focuses on three main themes. One area of exploration is the study and preservation of animal species and the natural environment. A second theme celebrates love, happiness, and laughter as tools of clinical medicine. The third topic seeks to explore and promote humane values, which Ed Bloustein believed were woven in the fabric of Judaic tradition and passed down from generation to generation.
The Bloustein School’s Diversity and Inclusion Speakers Forum celebrates the work and experiences of a scholar, artist, or professional whose achievements exemplify and inspire diversity and excellence. The speakers forum will serve as the cornerstone to the Bloustein School’s commitment to build awareness of, and foster a positive climate for, increased diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging through discussion and the sharing of ideas.