Dunia Dialogues: Convene, identify, translate, partner, and return
I convene mothers. I identify what matters. I translate insight into action. I partner with institutions that are ready to respond. Then I return.
Dunia Dialogues is the civic and cultural platform I founded for immigrant, diaspora, and Black and brown mothers in Columbus. Through peer-led knowledge circles, I turn lived expertise into participant-authorized priorities, practical tools, and accountable partnerships.
This is not open-mic storytelling. It is community-led civic infrastructure.
Why I Founded Dunia Dialogues
As a bi-racial immigrant woman and founder, I know what it means to be asked to speak, serve, volunteer, and share knowledge—without being seen, compensated, or told what changed because of it.I founded Dunia Dialogues to build a different practice. Mothers are not invited into the room as an audience, a testimonial, or a source of insight for someone else’s agenda. They are knowledge holders who help identify the questions, set the priorities, and shape what happens next.I convene the room. Participants identify what matters. I translate only what they authorize. I seek partners ready to act. Then I return with what moved, what did not, and what comes next.
My Model:Convene. Identify. Translate. Partner. Return.
I do not extract stories and disappear. Each Dunia Dialogues gathering is part of an ongoing cycle of listening, participant consent, action, and follow-through. Knowledge circles are peer-led by fellow Black women; participants are not research subjects or content for an institution’s report.
Convene — I create an intentional, peer-led room across lived experiences and diasporas.
Identify — Participants name the questions, barriers, assets, and priorities that matter in their own lives and communities.
Translate — With clear participant authorization, I turn shared priorities into practical next steps: a brief, resource guide, facilitated introduction, or partner conversation.
Partner — I bring in trusted institutions, funders, practitioners, and decision-makers prepared to respond—not merely observe.
Return — I report back to the women: what I heard, what was authorized, who responded, what changed, and what still needs work.
Support protected community knowledge gathering, participant-led documentation, return gatherings, and the translation of lived knowledge into institutional action.
The Inaugural Gathering
150+ women · 11 cities · 3 states · ABA Gallery, Columbus · August 16, 2025
On August 16, 2025, I launched Dunia Dialogues: Mamas Who Move the World at ABA Gallery in downtown Columbus.Mothers, daughters, and cultural leaders came together across backgrounds, languages, and life stages.
The gathering confirmed something important: women already hold deep civic, cultural, and economic knowledge. What is often missing is a trusted structure that recognizes that knowledge, compensates it, protects it, and connects it to action.
Dunia Dialogues is not a one-time event series. It is a platform for building the relationships and shared accountability that make action possible.
Since August 2025, Dunia Dialogues has grown into a recurring series of structured knowledge circles, community briefs, and civic partnerships — each building on the last.
What participants and community partners said
“You truly shined in a conversation that could have lasted for days. Thank you for sharing this beautiful space with us — you inspired new ideas and created the warm, meaningful dialogue we all needed! Continue to create, sweet friend!!!”
— Tania Ulloa-Olavarrieta, Columbus Chamber of Commerce“I had so much fun! Thank you for bringing such incredible people with broad backgrounds in one space. You are truly helping to make our city into a better place.”
— Suzan Mchao, Columbus City Council
Fund the Work That Follows the Circle
A knowledge circle is only the first step. Your support makes it possible to compensate peer leaders, feed the room, document only what participants authorize, translate priorities into usable tools, and return with next steps.
I am seeking funders and partners who understand that listening without response is not enough.
Support can help fund peer-led circles, participant care, documentation, translation into usable tools, and accountable follow-through.
Participant-respecting reports and briefs help translate what emerges in the room into accountable next steps, practical tools, and informed partnership.
Flexible Giving
Prefer to support the work at a level that feels right.
Areas of Work
She Carried It Here
Motherhood, memory, early childhood, and what Black children should inherit
Inherited Grounds
Land, home, inheritance, wealth, and belonging across Black communities
Mother Tongues
How mothers preserve heritage languages, nurture identity, and shape future storytellers across generations.
Storytelling as Strength
Building resilience and stamina through the power of personal and collective storytelling.
Mamas and Money
Financial confidence, entrepreneurship, household wealth, and pathways to capital
Mamas in Fashion
From catwalks to cultural design, celebrating diaspora mothers who are transforming the fashion industry.
Mamas in Education
Honoring trailblazing mothers who are shaping classrooms, schools, and education policy.
Faith & Belonging
How faith, migration, culture, and community shape belonging for mothers and children—and what trusted spaces can offer when formal systems fall short.
Become a Trusted Action Partner
I partner with institutions, public agencies, foundations, businesses, practitioners, and community organizations that are prepared to respond to what women identify—not arrive with a predetermined agenda.
A trusted partner may support a circle financially, share decision-making access, offer an aligned resource, fund participant compensation, remove a documented barrier, or help carry a participant-authorized priority forward.
I am not seeking sponsors who simply want visibility at a community event. I am looking for partners prepared to listen, act, and remain accountable to the women whose knowledge informs the work.
This is a curated series. Not all submissions will be selected for immediate participation, but I thoughtfully review each inquiry.
Why Dunia Dialogues Matter
Immigrant, diaspora, and Black and brown mothers anchor families and communities — yet their leadership is rarely recognized or resourced.I founded Dunia Dialogues to transform lived experience into visible, compensated leadership. By convening intentional public dialogue, I elevate mothers as civic, cultural, and economic contributors to Columbus. This is not symbolic programming — it is cultural infrastructure.
Here is how collaborating with Dunia Dialogues advances leadership, community, and long-term civic growth:
01 · Compensate Knowledge
Your investment recognizes mothers’ cultural expertise, time, and leadership as work with real value.
02 · Build Trust Across Difference
Peer-led circles make room for honest connection across Black American, immigrant, and diaspora experiences without flattening them.
03 · Turn Insight Into Action
I translate participant-authorized priorities into briefs, introductions, resource pathways, and partner conversations designed to move something forward.
04 · Practice Accountability
The work does not end when the chairs are stacked. I return with what happened next and continue the relationship.
Partnerships & Community Support
Stay Connected
Be the first to hear about upcoming gatherings, speakers, and partnership opportunities.
I share updates thoughtfully — no noise, just intention.
Thank you
Dunia Dialogues is powered by Dunia Consulting — a practice rooted in cultural fluency, leadership, and community building. Learn more about our consulting work here.