“Fresh Prince”'s Tatyana Ali Recalls Will Smith's Generous Gift in Show's Final Season (Exclusive)

The actress looks back at her time as Ashley Banks and the true family dynamic between her castmates

• Tatyana Ali played Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990 to 1996

• The actress, now 45, recalls the special dynamic between her castmates and what she took away from that experience

• The mom of two is working on raising money and awareness to combat the Black maternal health crisis with her quilt brand, Baby Yams
  

Tatyana Ali looks at her Fresh Prince of Bel-Air costars as family.

Speaking with PEOPLE about her brand Baby Yams — a limited-edition series of handmade, heirloom-quality baby quilts that donates 100% of proceeds to Black and Indigenous midwives and doulas — the actress, 45, says the best memories from her time on the sitcom's set are those of laughing with castmates.

"Our last season of the show, Will [Smith] had opened up his dressing room and knocked out a wall to create one big, beautiful dressing room out of two," Ali, who played Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom from 1990 to 1996, recalls.

"We all saw it when we came in early that year. We thought it was so beautiful. He looks at all of this. As a gift to everybody in our final season, he introduced us to his designer and said, 'He designed this room. Work with him and design your own dressing room.' "

"It included furniture and everything and I have to tell you, I'm sitting in my living room and I'm sitting on that couch," she reveals.

"And I'm looking at two chairs from that dressing room! I've since reupholstered that couch, but it's still my furniture today."

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Related: Tatyana Ali 'Bawled' After Filming with Actress Playing Her Fresh Prince Character: 'Heart Exploded' (Exclusive)

"That's kind of indicative of the memories. It wasn't the stuff, but the feelings," she adds.

"We just had so much fun. It was a great place to grow up. And I know, especially now, that's not everybody's story, certainly not every child actor's story. But it was a really supportive environment for me, and they're my family. I love them."

The '90s were an exciting time for Ali. Not only was she enjoying the success of Fresh Prince, but she was also busy working on her music career. The singer says that amid the current '90s resurgence, she "hopes the music" of the era makes a comeback.

"I miss that '90s music. It was so happy. There was so much joy," she says. "I was just recently listening to Arrested Development and that feel-good music — songs about love, songs about going out with your friends and dancing. I wish music like that kind of stuff would come back a little harder."

Related: Tatyana Ali Dishes on Touring with *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys in the '90s — and Names Her Favorite (Exclusive)

These days, Ali balances the time spent on her professional endeavors with her passion for improving the landscape around Black maternal and family health.

For Ali, bringing Baby Yams' quilts to life is an exciting new chapter.

"It's such a dream come true, seeing the quilts out in the world and not just in my head," she tells PEOPLE of the designs she's created.

"I've been working as an advocate for Black maternal health for almost five years now. I started doing that work around the time I had my youngest baby. Before that, I always showed support and worked with organizations empowering Black girls. When I had the experience I did with the birth of my first son, I knew I wanted to help."

Ali has also partnered with She’s Good [For Real],  an online health space for Black women.

"Part of this journey is where we get our information. Because our health system is kind of wonky, we're getting our health information every way we can. We find our communities — at the park, or on social media, or through others — to find the answers that we need," the actress shares.

"What Group Black has decided to do is create a space that really speaks to our needs. I thought that was very powerful. There's also an element of it that includes giving back and and giving resources to these groups that are already on the ground doing the work. So it was a no-brainer for me. It's exactly where I live."

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Read the original article on People.