OUR MISSION
FullCircle brings together the African diasporas by boosting purpose and belonging through digital tools
born in rio de janeiro,
built for the world
FullCircle grew out of an eye-opening conversation with a Rio de Janeiro museum founder-director in 2019, to a non-profit mission to digitally connect the Africa diasporas. In 2021, FullCircle was established to power and protect cultural memory.
it started with a QUILT
Early on, FullCircle asked Smithsonian museum quilt exhibitor Ed Johnetta Miller to communicate our commitment to the Sankofa ideal of looking back to move forward. The result is a striking patchwork of diaspora and African fabrics. The quilt front is punctuated by the Ghanaian bird with an egg in its mouth (the future), head swiveled backwards to honor history. The reverse side features a stunning red, black and gold Senegalese print.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
The FullCircle team worked hard to develop and communicate our mission, identify potential partners and seek funds to bring the platform into existence. Experience and clarity identified the need to choose a priority.
FINDING FOCUS
In 2025, FullCircle directors and board decided to focus first on a piece of the mission: an app for African-American families to plan and document their family reunions. This is being developed as the centerpiece of our new for-profit social benefit entity, FamilyCircle. Investment in our for-profit social benefit entity, FamilyCircle, will bring this pioneering app to life and strengthen ties in a time where history itself is often disputed.
Past events
FullCircle Collaborates with Develop for Good
FullCircle has partnered with Develop for Good to work with student designers and developers for a website and family reunion app redesign.
André Kearns Hosts a Black Geneaology Webinar
In this webinar, Andre Kearns explores how to uncover ancestral histories obscured by slavery and how reconnecting with these "cornerstone stories" can bring healing, inspiration, and a deeper sense of identity to descendants today.
FullCircle Forms Family Reunion Advisory Team to Develop App
FullCircle is currently in the research and design process for our new family reunion platform, KinFinity.
FullCircle Co-Founder Speaks at HOPE Global Forums
Co-Founder Julia Michaels speaks about FullCircle at "The Future of Community and Connection" panel during the 2024 HOPE Global Forums in Atlanta, Georgia.
FullCircle Welcomes Summer Interns
We are proud to share that we are hosting summer interns from Morehouse, Agnes Scott, Morris Brown, Spelman, and Stanford.
Erasure and Recovery: Exhibition Preview with Brazil’s Museu da República
A stirring preview of the Our Sacred collection of religious belongings taken away from Candomblé and Umbanda practitioners decades ago by Rio police, returned in 2020, about to go on exhibit at Rio de Janeiro's Museum of the Republic.
FullCircle Welcomes New Executive Director Karen Routt
We are excited to announce the addition of Karen Routt to FullCircle’s governing board.
FullCircle Establishes Wisdom Circle
We are proud to welcome our Wisdom Circle of advisors to inform the vision of FullCircle.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How can I get involved?
Please donate to support our work or contact us directly with ideas, questions and feedback through our interest form!
How do you define the various African Diasporas?
The world has seen many migrations over history, forced and voluntary. Descendants of enslaved Africans are one diaspora, spread mostly throughout the Caribbean and the Americas (including the USA). Other African diasporas include more recent, voluntary migrants and their offspring, who live all around the world.
How are FullCircle and KinFinity connected?
FullCircle, a 501 (c) 3 created in 2021, aims to digitally connect the global African diasporas, both culturally and as markets for goods and services. As a first step, we are creating a for-profit social benefit entity, FamilyCircle, to offer an app to be used by African-American families as they plan and document their family reunions. We seek donors for FullCircle and investors for FamilyCircle.
What was the inspiration?
As she wrote a bilingual blog about Rio de Janeiro’s urban issues, Julia Michaels became aware of the city’s African past. Rio received about 2 million of the 5 million enslaved Africans taken to Brazil. Thus it is the most important port in diaspora history (the future USA received 400,000 enslaved Africans, total). When Julia suggested a larger venue to a Rio museum founder, that founder made a bigger suggestion: connecting all the places in the world involved in enslaving and trafficking Africans, from the 15th to the 19th century.
In 2020, Julia mentioned this stirring idea to her old friend and Atlanta resident Mike Wittenstein, lamenting the impossibility of making it real during the pandemic. “Why not do this digitally?” asked Mike. Thus FullCircle was born and the two friends, who had studied Portuguese together in Rio de Janeiro in 1978, became co-founders. Karen Routt joined the team in 2022 and became Executive Director.
Who has FullCircle previously worked with?
FullCircle has co-hosted webinars with Brazil’s Museum of the Republic and exhibitions with Roots101. Click here to learn more about our past events.
Where is FullCircle based?
FullCircle is based in the USA. It intends to operate internationally, as the digital platform comes into existence.
Support our Mission
Help FullCircle by donating our getting involved. Your vested support drives every stage of Fullcircle’s development!