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Safe Black Space

1026 FLORIN ROAD #294, SACRAMENTO, CA 95758

At Safe Black Space (SBS), health equity is at the heart of our mission. We are a community-driven, culturally grounded organization created in direct response to the emotional and mental health needs of Black people navigating the ongoing trauma of racism and anti-Blackness. We envision a world where Black communities have access to safe, supportive, and affirming spaces for healing, growth, and liberation. We center Black voices, leadership, and lived experience in everything we do—from our boardroom to our healing circles. Our leadership, staff, and volunteers reflect the community we serve, ensuring cultural relevance, shared understanding, and collective resilience guide our work. We honor the power of community by creating opportunities for our participants to shape our programming through listening sessions, feedback, and participant-led dialogue. We promote cultural equity and healing by offering free, accessible programming such as community healing circles and culturally affirming events like our Annual Kwanzaa Kutoa Celebration. We empower Black educators, mental health professionals, and leaders with tools to foster environments where cultural identity is affirmed and mental wellness is nurtured. Through representation and collaboration, we ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion are lived values, not just aspirations. Our board and staff—comprising therapists, educators, faith leaders, and cultural practitioners—carry both professional expertise and lived experience. Volunteers and facilitators often emerge from within our programs, deepening our intergenerational, community-rooted approach to healing. Beyond our own organization, SBS advocates for systemic change and expanded access to Black-centered healing spaces. We actively collaborate with schools, community partners, and statewide advocates to challenge disparities and promote racial justice in mental health. At Safe Black Space, health equity means honoring the humanity of Black people, healing through cultural connection, and building a future where our communities are whole, well, and free.

SACRAMENTO

In Network

About Safe Black Space

safeblackspace.org

HISTORY Safe Black Space is a Black-led organization dedicated to creating intentional healing spaces while engaging in culturally relevant restorative wellness practices for people of African ancestry. Our vision is to equip Black communities with tools to heal and thrive, even in the face of racism and anti-Blackness. SBS began in 2018 from an outpouring of love by local mental health practitioners, faith leaders, educators and community members in Sacramento, CA, following the tragic killing of Stephon Clark by Sacramento Police Officers. As of 2025, SBS has served over 2,500 people through our various activities, having grown from a completely voluntary-based organization to a non-profit with a small staff, a committed Board of Directors and team of trained facilitators. SERVICES Our premier service is SBS Community Healing Circles. Grounded in African-centered principles of wellness, these circles counteract the negative impacts of racism and anti-Blackness. They provide a sense of community with culturally specific strategies and mental health and wellness resources to help Black people heal. Since its inception, SBS has expanded to offer a variety of activities beyond our community healing, including African Drum Circles with other local Black community organizations, African-Centered Psychology focused Book Study Groups, an annual Kwanzaa Giving Event, as well Outreach and Educational Presentations. SBS provides a Mind Body Spirit Community Resource List of Black providers available to support community members on our website. These activities and resources are meant to improve and enhance the health and wellness of Black people. They help heal racial wounds, promote community wellness, reduce stigma around mental health, and celebrate our culture.

Experience

Safe Black Space is proud to be an Equitable Recovery Grantee of the MacArthur Foundation and is a nationally recognized resource for Black Communities, being featured on Mental Health America’s “Black and African American Communities – Mental Health” web page. SBS was cited as a resource for Black Community Members affected by the recent Wildfires in Altadena/Pasadena and the Los Angeles area by the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi). Information was sent in a national email blast and loaded on their website at https://abpsi.org/lafires/. In addition, SBS has been cited in the book Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit by Mary-Frances Winters. SBS has been contracted and provided services to the City of Sacramento, The Mayors Office, Sacramento County Behavioral Health Services, the Sierra Health Foundation, Elk Grove Unified School District, Dignity in Schools, and California State University, Sacramento, among other agencies and local community based organizations, such as Roberts Family Development Center, the Living Room/Sacramento African American Suicide Prevention Project, and The I Am Sac Foundation (Stephon Clark Legacy).

Education

The Exectutive Director of Safe Black Space – Dr. Kristee Haggins has a PhD. and M.A. in Counseling Psychology from The Ohio State University and a B.A. with Honors in Psychology from the University of Southern California. She is an African-centered psychologist with over 35 years of experience serving the Black community. Dr. Haggins in joined by board members, staff , facilitators and volunteers who hold advanced degrees in psychology, education, religious studies, and sociology. The SBS team has experience in advocacy, public health, counseling, spiritual coaching, teaching, community leadership, and peer mentoring among other skills.

Languages

English