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WHO WE ARE
OUR MISSION

WE SAY MIDWIVES CATCH BABIES and Fanm Saj is an organization that exists to catch communities. Our mission is to provide families across the African Diaspora with cultural and wellness tools as well as social and political resources to nourish themselves, their families, and their communities.

     We envision a world where families of all ages and abilities have the power and support to live in spiritually, mentally, and physically, safe and healthy communities.

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OUR ROOTS

We are of grassroots origin and our seed was planted and flourished in the year 2018 in Miami FL. Since then we have been driven by a single goal; to do our part in making the world a better place for all.

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     Our healing modalities use culturally based tools and resources to rebuild and nurture disconnected communities back with their ancestral healing practices. We do this through Shifting Narrative-Story telling and collecting, Restorative Justice Circle Keeping, Ancestral Healing/Wellness Practices, and Capacity Building.

OUR STORY

With over 15 years of Movement Building experience, Under the leadership of Founder and Executive Director who is a first generation Haitian American-Black woman, Ruth Jeannoel. Her experience of living at the intersection of race, class and gender - discloses her values of supporting the leadership development of other Black and Brown communities. Her identities and lived experience of seeing how Criminalization has dehumanized her own family and community members continues to drive her passion in centering Black Liberation at the center of Transformative Justice. In addition to being the Founder/Director of Fanm Saj, In 2014, Ruth Jeannoel, co-authored Vision for Black Lives, End War on Black Youth, with Power U Center for Social Change and Alliance for Education Justice, demanding to Decriminalize youth under 23, Remove police and surveillance from schools, Direct resources toward violence prevention and transformative responses that create a nurturing and positive school climate for all students and create opportunities for youth to thrive in community.

 

Fanm Saj came about due to our founder Ruth Jeannoel's dedication to end criminalization during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement and the "Say Her Name" rallies. Ruth's commitment to organizing, however, took a toll on her health and well-being. Recognizing the importance of self-care, she embarked on a journey to prioritize her own well-being, a path she couldn't navigate alone. Ruth initiated the process by creating sacred healing circles, only to discover that she was not alone in her need for support. As she connected with other like-minded organizers focused on both healing and justice, she gained a deeper understanding of the various traumas affecting their communities. This eye-opening experience inspired her to transform these sacred circles into a dedicated healing space, eventually leading to the establishment of Fanm Saj as a non-profit organization.

OUR VALUES

     We measure our impact by how often community members and organizers reflect back to us, our organizational values of Vulnerability, Courage, Curiosity, Creativity, Unity, Restorative, and Diversity of Journey and Transformation

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Our impact is very much grounded in the values that we feel and seek to carry when a Black woman walks through the room and they feel loved, supported, and welcome to be themselves. When that young person who has been ostracized, bullied, or doesn’t feel a sense of belonging at school or another institution or when that survivor of sexual harm or abuse feels held and that someone is listening to their needs and supporting to help them move forward in an accountability process. They begin to see their transformation not just in text or theory but they are part of naming what justice looks like for them. 

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OUR THEORY OF CHANGE/ CULTURAL STRATEGY

As a Black Led Organization, we are building power in the South through our organization's Theory of Change is grounded in Ella Baker’s model for social change and highlighting leadership development as the key to Social Change. “I have always thought that what is needed is the development of people who are interested not in being leaders as much as in developing leadership among other people”.

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We can not depend on the state to heal and we must heal ourselves and our communities. In order to achieve that vision, communities  must be whole – socially, emotionally and spiritually. As Tufara Mohammad, a movement elder, has expressed, “Every organizer should be using art and culture as a strategy to help people build bridges.” We strongly believe that cultural strategy is how we, Black and Brown folks, survive. Restorative Justice is our Cultural Strategy.

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CONNECT WITH US
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©2025 by Fanm Saj, Inc.

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