Our Founding Journey
MAJONZI began with a simple yet profound realization: that grief, while universal, is too often navigated in isolation. Our story started as a memorial fund, born from the need to provide financial support and dignity to families honoring their lost loved ones. We saw firsthand how cultural traditions provide essential pathways for healing and how those traditions are frequently marginalized in mainstream support systems. As we listened to our community, our focus deepened. We evolved from a fund into a collective of advocates, practitioners, and survivors dedicated to challenging the inequities inherent in modern bereavement care. Today, we work to cultivate spaces where every story is honored, and where healing is recognized not as a destination, but as a continuous, communal journey supported by understanding and shared love.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
To Honor Love and Heal Together
Majonzi is dedicated to honoring the lives of those we've lost by providing culturally competent support and resources that facilitate collective healing. We strive to challenge the inequities in grief care, ensuring every individual has a compassionate sanctuary to navigate their journey of loss with dignity and community.
Dr. Yansie Rolston
Co-Founder & Director
Dr Yansie Rolston is a compassionate clinician, educator, and speaker specialising in grief, loss, and trauma-informed care. With extensive experience supporting individuals, families, and communities through bereavement, she integrates evidence-based practice with culturally responsive approaches. She has led workshops, developed programmes, and contributed to professional training focused on healing, resilience, and meaning-making after loss. She is the co-editor of two books; the executive producer of Our Grief: Black Women Speak and 4 other films on menopause and the co-creator of the Majonzi Grief Cards.
Debi Lewinson
Debi Lewinson is an independent funeral celebrant, storyteller, and bereavement facilitator whose work centers on the intersections of death,culture, mental health and womanhood. She delivers workshops and talks on death and dying,and is the founder of the Loss Café – a supportive space for people from the Black African Diaspora to come together, share experiences and explore racial and culturally sensitive conversations around death, bereavement and grief.
Maureen Anderson
Maureen Anderson studied Anthropology and has worked in both public and voluntary organisations where she found her calling with families and with women fleeing abuse. Most recently she has added menopausal and bereaved people to her areas of interest and engagement. She supports families and people at different points in their lives.Having lost both parents in 2020 she set up ‘MAMM’ for menopause and ‘The Kitchen Table’ for grief and loss, to ensure that no one has to go through challenges on their own’.
Brian Quavar is an advocate for health equity and he actively supports the Shout crisis support helpline, contributing to vital, immediate assistance for people in moments of distress. He finds peace, solace, joy and motivation in photography, which has helped him keep the memory of his loved ones alive. As a prostate cancer survivor he speaks openly about his journey - the fears, the highs, the lows, and the uncomfortable issues that people often shy away from with the hope that it will encourage others to be mindful of their own health and wellbeing. He is Mental Health First Aider and contributor in the book Black Grief and Healing.
Brian Quavar
Patrick Vernon OBE is a British social commentator, cultural historian, and activist dedicated to documenting and championing the Black experience in Britain. He is the driving force behind the campaign to establish Windrush Day, which was officially recognized by the UK government in 2018. He founded the "100 Great Black Britons" campaign and the Windrush Justice Fund to support scandal victims. He continues to shape policy through high-level advisory roles in public health and race equality.
He is the co-editor of two books.
Patrick Vernon OBE
Co-Founder & Strategic Advisor
Meet Our Team
Our dedicated team of grief professionals, community healers, and empathetic volunteers are here to guide you through every step of your journey with compassion and cultural understanding.
OUR IMPACT
2,500+
Providing specialized bereavement support and culturally sensitive guidance to families navigating loss.
Families Supported
150+
Healing workshops, memorial festivals, and collective ceremonies hosted across multiple communities.
Community Events
85%
Increase in access to trauma-informed grief resources within historically underserved neighborhoods.