Welcome to Ìyá Global!
Greetings! My name is Jeanette Charles and I started Ìyá Global in 2020 as a portal to share my work and vision. My purpose operates at the crossroads of storytelling, social justice activism, African spirituality, and bridge building.
As Ìyá Global's founder, my mission is: 1) to compassionately provide services guided by a unique praxis rooted in our collective & holistic liberation, 2) to collaboratively build a transnational community committed to creating a better and just world, and 3) to carefully support individuals and their communities in these transformative processes.
The name, Ìyá Global, leans into my international outlook as well as the unwavering power of women and feminine energies in the universe. According to the Nigerian cosmology of Ifá, the term "Ìyánífá" refers to a woman who serves her community, trains in the ancestral tradition, and fiercely leads her people into victory.
Also, I often accompany my work with the image of an elephant. Throughout numerous traditions, the elephant appears in history and mythology as the embodiment of triumph, physical and emotional strength, prosperity, collective well-being, and matriarchal practices. Due to this, I embrace the elephant and its power in various aspects of my work and approach.
With that said, I invite you to get to know more about me and Ìyá Global, below.
One-on-one life, spiritual, and alignment coaching Groups, organizations, companies Spirit & Struggle collective coaching experience
Guidance and orientation for organizations, companies, teams, and special projects. Topics: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, African Diaspora, solidarity organizing, among others.
Editing, subtitling, translation Event / Live Interpretation Consecutive and simultaneous Publications, media
Storyline production and narration Administrative support Radio, podcast, documentaries, and other media projects
Research services Writing and History classes, workshops, and groups Rooted in popular, decolonial pedagogies.
Tailored and thematically specific People-to-people exchanges Holistic retreats & Professional Development
Meet Jeanette
I'm a daughter of the Haitian Diaspora and German migration raised by working-class Black and Brown Los Angeles. I am a storyteller, trained oral historian (M.A. '19, UCLA), and long-time activist. My scholarship reflects my political and personal interests in the African Diaspora throughout Latin America and the Caribbean with an emphasis on Black Radicalism, religion, and political economy.
My passion for Caribbean histories and cultures continues in my role as executive producer and co-producer for the feature film documentary Salsa, un tumbao’ caribeño (Salsa, a Caribbean Swing), which focuses on salsa music's roots and legacy. (currently in production). With Salsa, I participated in the Sundance Collab's Documentary Film Intensive and Film Producer programs and studied Film Marketing at UCLA. In 2021, I also produced a 30-minute docu-style report focused on Los Angeles County’s annual initiative in support of healing justice through the arts and community organizing.
I'm also an experienced solidarity activist, print and radio journalist, and international delegation coordinator. I've organized group educational travel for more than a decade throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. I'm also a public speaker, language interpreter, and university lecturer. As a journalist and scholar, I have published in Small Axe, teleSUR English, Black Agenda Report, The Hill, Venezuelanalysis, Haiti Solidarity Newsletter, and América Latina en Línea among other outlets. I have several publications forthcoming centering the importance of grassroots power and alternative cosmologies. I have likewise served as a radio show host and producer for bilingual programming with Radio Pacifica KPFK and have appeared on international podcasts and multimedia programming. In 2020, I became a certified coach, with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and a consultant working on issues like race, class, gender, solidarity and globalization.
Contact: iyaglobal2020@gmail.com