Who we are
Held & Rooted operates as a public-benefit technology company governed by a nonprofit structure, ensuring that the platform remains aligned with the communities it serves.
Held & Rooted Inc. is building maternal infrastructure grounded in the lived experience of mothers raising Black children and the communities that support them.
Black motherhood carries distinct cultural realities, social pressures, and structural inequities that cannot be addressed through generic systems of support. In an era shaped by rapidly advancing digital technologies and algorithm-driven platforms, these realities require intentional, culturally responsive infrastructure.
Held & Rooted exists to design systems that honor, protect, and strengthen the wellbeing of mothers raising Black children while advancing ethical approaches to technology and community-building.
Held & Rooted Inc. is a nonprofit organization incorporated in the State of California and has applied for recognition of federal tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our application is currently pending with the Internal Revenue Service.
Our Story
Over the past five years, a community of mothers raising Black children has been growing through conversation, shared resources, and real-world connection. What began as a local Facebook group quickly became something more: a trusted network where mothers organized events, exchanged knowledge, and built the support systems that make raising children possible.
But building this community also revealed a larger problem.
The digital spaces where mothers gather today are largely shaped by algorithms designed for engagement, not wellbeing. Communities are forced to operate within platforms that were never designed to sustain trust, leadership, or long-term support networks.
After five years of building and moderating community within these systems, it became clear that what mothers needed was not simply another group or conversation space.
They needed infrastructure.
Held & Rooted was created to build that infrastructure — a public-benefit technology platform designed to support maternal communities through intentional digital architecture, trusted connection, leadership development, and shared resources.
Grounded in real-world community building, the Held & Rooted platform is designed to strengthen maternal ecosystems by combining digital systems with local leadership and real-life engagement.
Now we are building the technology that allows communities like this to grow, connect, and thrive at scale.