Black Mothers Forum Celebrates 10 Years of Repairing the Breach in Education

Black Mothers Forum Celebrates 10 Years of Repairing the Breach in Education

Black Mothers Forum, Inc. (BMF) marked its 10-year anniversary on the evening of August 7, 2026, with a celebration honoring a decade of advocacy for safe and supportive learning environments for Pre-K-12th grade children, and reaffirming its commitment to those it has served through its microschool network, now in its sixth year, School to Purpose Academies.

BMF thanked the attendees who filled the room for their ongoing support of the organization’s work to create safe and supportive learning environments for the community’s children, calling their presence and continued partnership essential to the mission.

Board President Christina Foster opened the evening’s reflections with a reading of Langston Hughes’ celebrated poem “Mother to Son,” whose imagery of climbing a hard, uneven staircase and refusing to turn back set a tone of perseverance for the evening.

Founder & CEO Rev. Janelle Wood reflected on the organization’s origins, describing the work as one that has met resistance from the start. “From day one, we have been dealing with a heavy thing,” Wood said. “When you go against the grain, you are going to meet resistance. That’s what this work is — resisting the systems that tell us our young people aren’t enough, that tell us we’re not enough. But mostly, there’s resistance. And we’ll keep meeting it, because we’re doing what God has called us to do.”

The Honorable Sharron Sauls educated those in attendance on the importance of understanding tenant rights, immigration rights and due process rights.  Her interactive approach encouraged community members to ask questions about the justice system and how they can better protect themselves and their families from unnecessary legal challenges. 

Executive Director Tiffany Dudley honored the mothers, board members, core team, and volunteers who built the organization from the ground up. “Black mothers stepped forward with determination and courage,” Dudley said. “To all those who have built Black Mothers Forum — board members, core team, volunteers — we are standing on a strong foundation. God has been building this house from the very beginning.”

Students from School to Purpose Academies also took the stage, sharing how the microschools helped them grow into their authentic selves, excel academically, and learn to advocate for themselves.  Because mothers stepped up to fulfill their calling to repair the breach in education, many children in the community now have access to an education that teaches them who they are, affirms their purpose, and makes academic acceleration a lived reality through School to Purpose Academies. BMF also used the evening to announce it will expand that work in the 2026-2027 school year with two new microschool campuses, opening in South Phoenix and in Mesa.

“We will continue to do our part to repair the breach in education,” organizers told attendees, “And we challenge you to repair the breach you have been called to. Praying our way through the next season of growth as we pray, share, and move.”

For more information, contact Rev. Janelle Wood, Founder & CEO, Black Mothers Forum | 602-373-4091 | info@blackmothersforums.com.