Sankofa is a Black woman led reproductive justice mission to end preventable death and illness in Black, African & Indigenous Communities in Syracuse, NY.
The Sankofa Reproductive Health and Healing Center is an official Perinatal Safe Spot. This designation is a nationally recognized model of care created by our mentor Midwife Jennie Joseph of Commonsense Childbirth. The goal of a Safe Spot is to provide immediate and judgment-free access to culturally reflective, community-led pregnancy and reproductive care. Our work centers Black, Brown, Indigenous, and African descending birthing families in Syracuse and Central New York.
We offer full spectrum doula care, breastfeeding, informed decision making for maternal health care, community-led perinatal health education and resources for families experiencing hardship. .
We are located at Cafe Sankofa on the south side of Syracuse, NY in the historic Sankofa district.
Collective Care
The Sankofa Reproductive Health and Healing Center is a partnership with Village Birth International, Doula 4aQueen and zenG Yoga. The healing center reflects the years of collaboration, birth work and reproductive wellness brought to Syracuse by these organizations.
At Sankofa, doula support, wellness programs, education and care are offered in collective frameworks that center human rights and justice. By forming a collective of birth workers, we can be intentional about communal practices of collective care that affirm folks who are experiencing inequalities and not receiving the care they deserve in the healthcare system. Collective care ensures that everyone benefits, and no one is left without the support and healing they deserve.
We believe self -determined reproductive wellness can heal generational wounds of oppression and disease and change the overall health for future generations.
Collective Action
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Doula 4 a Queen
Supporting families before, during, and after birth, because you deserve the royal treatment
Founder: Sequoia Kemp
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zenG Yoga
everyday living well, zen gangsta style
For zenG, living well zen gangsta style is not only personal, it is deeply political. It is a revolution.
Founder: Dr. Marcelle Haddix
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Village Birth International
VBI operates as a training, advocacy and policy organization dedicated to liberation & reproductive justice. VBI is committed to advancing human rights for all families by eliminating the impact of racism and systemic oppression on perinatal outcomes.
Co-Director: Asteir Bey
Timeline of Our Work
Our work answered the call to uplift vital, life affirming, community-led reproductive care in CNY.
We serve in the ways of our Grand Midwives & Birthworkers with care rooted in self determination, ancestral healing and justice.
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Birthworkers in Syracuse began to formalize community efforts and address long-standing infant and maternal mortality for Black, African and Indigenous families.
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Village Birth International with the Sankofa Doula Collective joined the Perinatal Task Force with the official designation of a Perinatal Safe Spot for Upstate Families.
This designation is a nationally recognized model of care created by our mentor Midwife Jennie Joseph of Commonsense Childbirth.
The goal of a Safe Spot is to provide immediate and judgment-free access to culturally reflective, community-led pregnancy and reproductive care.
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From 2015- 2019 this designation operated virtually, telephonic, home-based in living rooms and at several community centers around Onondaga County.
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In 2020 our Perinatal Safe Spot the safe spot settled at a physical location at the Southside Communications Center 2331 S. Salina Street in the Sankofa District of Syracuse NY.
The Sankofa Reproductive Health and Healing Center serves to uplift the perinatal safe spot model of care and provide easy access entry points for birthing folks throughout during their reproductive lifespan.
In the News
Community based doula work justifies higher reimbursement rates
Sankofa Testimony at NY Senate Public Hearing for best practices to integrate doula into NY maternal healthcare system
