Camilia Majette and Kassim Mbwana

Continue to be your authentic self.

Camilia Majette is the CEO and founder of Nailah’s Shea and the 2018 minority business person of the year. She is a compassionate and determined woman who overcame personal and familial challenges, as well as social and societal expectations. Kassim Mbwana is a program evaluation and management consultant, a resilient individual who persisted through his own sets of difficulties, including the pressures of his Kenyan, Muslim African descent and his belonging in a western world that sometimes feels alienating.

Their story begins with Camilia and Kassim crossing paths through mutual friends, falling in love, and combining their lives, building a foundation of trust. Despite their different childhood upbringings, they discovered common ground in their shared experiences of the religion of Islam and East-African heritage. It enhanced their mutual desire for understanding and acceptance.

Through their journey, they explore themes of resilience, empathy, kindness, and the transformative power of community. Kassim, a youth coordinator, takes children out to go camping for 2 nights during the summer and Camilia helps out at the Masjid, she works with people becoming Muslim, teaching a class about Islamic culture.