Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Ruffin.
Hi Jasmine, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Jasmine and Evy are the hearts behind Dear Brown Mama. We met and became friends in 2018, when my husband introduced us, he knew Evy from college and clearly had a knack for matchmaking. Our friendship grew from small talk, to laughs and quickly turned into a true sisterhood.
We always joked that whatever happened to Evy, I was three months behind, and sure enough, when Evy got pregnant, SUPRISE! Three months later like clockwork, there I was…pregnant. We’ve survived dating drama to diaper blowouts, we’ve had each other’s backs through all the beautiful chaos of motherhood.
Going through pregnancy & postpartum together brought us even closer, and made us realize how much BIPOC moms need a space to feel seen, supported, and safe to be real. So we created Dear Brown Mama for friendship, real talk, and that “girl, SAME” kind of love every mama deserves.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We’ve had a few struggles as a new support group. In the beginning we found it difficult getting our name out in the community. On Facebook, we would tag our group on posts when we saw moms were looking for ways to meet new moms for themselves and their kids. Our group now is spread mainly by word of mouth on social media.
We have also struggled understanding the needs of the moms within our group. Dear Brown Mama supports moms through every stage of motherhood, which means there’s a broad range of what support can look like, and also how they prioritize it. We’ve done a lot of trial and error with hosting meetups to gauge the interests, and we’re still learning how to best serve all of our members.
Working as 2 founders who are both moms of little ones comes with its own struggles. Trying to schedule an hour to get together and collaborate on ideas becomes very difficult. We also run into times when we’ve been burnt out by social media, but still have to constantly engage our members within our Facebook group. Unfortunately, we’ve had to learn the hard way to prioritize ourselves and take the time to focus on what makes us and our families happy.
We’ve been impressed with Dear Brown Mama, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Dear Brown Mama was founded by friends Jasmine and Evy, who, as new mothers, experienced the loneliness that often accompanies motherhood. As a stay-at-home mom, Jasmine saw firsthand the lack of diversity in local mom groups. After multiple attempts to find the right fit, she connected with Evy, who shared her passion for supporting and empowering moms. Evy was searching for like minded moms to go through motherhood with, and had already created a Facebook group to support her mom friends. They changed the name and the direction of the group, and transformed it into a thriving community focused on Black and Brown mothers.
What started as a few moms coming together for support, soon blossomed into a beautiful community filled with meetups, playdates, and lifelong connections. Today, we host meetups, events and other uplifting, self-empowerment opportunities for moms of color. We hope Dear Brown Mama becomes a staple resource for mothers in the black and brown community.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Our team is small, but so mighty. The moms that volunteer to help us as we grow are Aziza, Bianca, Joyce, Kyesha, Mahogany, Tasia, and Teresa. These ladies are our backbone, whether it is sharing posts, spreading the word about our group, or supporting us through the events committee, we couldn’t have gotten far without them. We are also extremely grateful for the businesses that sponsor us, trust our vision, and support us: New Leaf Pediatric Dentistry, Bundts by Brenee, The Bunny Hive, Wildberry Pediatric Dentistry, and JS Creative Studio. Lastly, we have to thank the community partners that provide Dear Brown Mama discounts, freebies and other great opportunities that our members get to benefit from.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/dearbrownmama/about-us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dear.brown.mama/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1019298735670585
- Other: https://heylo.group/dearbrownmama
