We are excited to announce our end-of-season panel for our 2019/2020 event season taking place on July 17th from 12 to 2 pm at the Cumberland Club. Our panel, Women Who Dare, is made up of four exceptional women with very diverse backgrounds and experiences. They will share their experiences of immigrating to the United States and the strength from which they drew to start their own businesses and become successful entrepreneurs in their new country.
Nana Batumike had long hoped to open her own business and now owns the shop, NanuSka Style. She is one of the first tenants of Fikiria, a cluster of spaces for entrepreneurs inside Catholic Charities Maine’s Threads of Hope thrift store. Nana, the mother of six children, is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which she was forced to flee in 2012 due to violence. Her shop features colorful clothing with a central African flair that she designs. She also sells purses, backpacks, jewelry, and cosmetics as well as offering a hair braiding service onsite.
Aminato Doumbouya Ford grew up in northwestern Africa in Guinée. There, she attended and primary and secondary school, and graduated with a focus on journalism. In 1999, she left Africa to avoid an arranged marriage, traveled to Canada and then into the United States where she was incarcerated in Portland for two months until she was helped by Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) to get asylum. Aminato attended Portland Adult Education to learn English. Once she obtained her work permit, she held various jobs that included dishwashing, housekeeping and factory work. In 2003, she attended cosmetology school and eventually opened her own salon, Ami Salon in South Portland. Aminato lives in Falmouth with her husband and 13 year-old daughter.
Layla Kargar, was born in Iran to Afghani parents who had moved to Iran to flee the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 1990 when Layla was five, her parents moved the family again, this time to Portland. In eighth grade, she experienced some culture shock when her family moved to the Falmouth Country Club, and when 9/11 occurred the following year, she and her siblings were affected by the cruelty of high school students because they were from the country that claimed responsibility for the attacks. With no college degree and after a six-year battle with drug addiction that led to her serving jail time, Layla went on to become a successful entrepreneur. In June 2015, she started Express Solutions, a payment processing company. She also established Incomer Magazine and at the same time started Studio Vape on Forest Avenue. In addition, she owns an apartment building that houses asylum-seeking families.
Abbie (Miyabi) Yamamoto, PhD, is the Founder of One TransLiteracy, LCC, a firm specializing in building effective communication strategies. Abbie conducts diversity trainings and consults on communication strategies and international marketing materials. She grew up in Japan, speaking both Japanese and English. Having been educated in Japan, Canada, and the US and having lived in four countries, she is an advocate and practitioner of effective communication to support cross-cultural and international institutional growth. Abbie is passionate about helping people communicate across differences and bonding over (sometimes) surprising similarities.
Please come hear their amazing stories!