Listen "Reclaiming Accountability and Joy with Ruth Ifakemi Efungbemi Jeannoel"
Episode Synopsis
Claire de Mézerville López welcomes Ruth Ifakemi Efungbemi Jeannoel to the Restorative Works! Podcast. Ruth joins us and shares her powerful journey of weaving ancestral wisdom, social justice organizing, and restorative justice into practices that transform communities from within. As founder and director of Fanm Saj, Inc., Ruth describes her work as “catching communities,” a practice rooted in healing, accountability, and reclaiming cultural traditions. She explains how monthly sacred healing circles, youth leadership programs, and justice clinics are creating space for Black and Brown communities to pause, listen, and lead with joy. “Circle keeping,” Ruth says, “is both an indigenous practice and an invitation to slow down, understand who we are, and remember the medicine each of us brings into this world.” Ruth is a Haitian American cultural organizer, holistic healer, author, and dedicated advocate for social justice. She is the author of Restorative Justice Practices Circle Keeping for Community Healing, an invitation to reimagine community accountability and healing. She invites readers to the transformative practice of circle keeping, an ancient method reimagined for modern communities seeking healing, connection, and accountability. As the founder and director of Fanm Saj, Inc., a for-impact organization, Ruth is committed to empowering families across the African diaspora by providing them with essential cultural and wellness tools, as well as social and political resources to nurture themselves and their communities. Additionally, she is a co-owner of Dandelion Medicine Liberation Co-op, furthering her dedication to community wellness and healing. Tune in to share Ruth’s vision of restorative justice not as a rigid framework tied to institutions, but as a living, breathing practice of accountability, cultural memory, and collective care.
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