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"It's caught on like wildfire," Mattox said.

In part, Mocha Moms was created to set the record straight, she said.

"There's a stereotypical notion that a woman of color who's a mom at home is a woman who's collecting some kind of government check," Mattox said. "It's unheard of in many people's minds that a woman of color could make the choice to stay at home. But we do exist and we're growing in numbers."

Hunger for resources

Tonya D. Evans wrote "Put Soul in Your Baby Shower: The African American Baby Shower Book" after realizing there was little like it available. Her book offers shower games with cultural twists like sharing Afrocentric baby trivia.

"There's a hunger for cultural resources," said Evans, who lives in Richmond and whose first book was "Put Soul in Your Bridal Shower: The African American Bridal Shower Book."

According to the latest edition of "The Buying Power of Black America," an annual report published by research and information company Target Market News, black households earned $279 billion in income in 2004.

"From a business standpoint, if people see there's a market for this, if they see black women are interested in this information about motherhood and parenting, there will be more," Mattox said.

James, who is now acting as a consultant for a Latino mom about creating a Web site, said it took a while before ads started rolling in to her magazine. But now she has a growing roster of clients. She's hopeful her big corporate advertising break will come soon.

In October, Mommy Too! Magazine will debut as a print publication. It will be available through direct mail and to subscribers. James also has more Web sites in the works -- ones on attachment parenting, pregnancy. There are so many sites out there that don't speak to black moms, she said.

"I really believe at having quality information at the fingertips of black parents," James said. "When nothing is out there and I don't see anything in the works, I'm just going to create it myself."

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