AMA KARIKARI-YAWSON, ESQ.
Founder, President, and Principal of Milestales
Author of Sunne's Gift and Kwanzaa Nana Is Coming to Town
Ama earned a BA cum laude in Social Studies from Harvard University, an MBA from the Wharton School and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She has worked in finance and legal capacities at top Wall Street institutions such as Bank of America and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
Her unique understanding of social issues, business, wealth generation, and the law has enabled her to become a relevant voice on issues as varied as education, race relations, women's issues, dating, parenting, self-love, afro-textured hair, African identity, bullying, and entrepreneurship. Her articles have been published in MSNBC's The Grio, The Huffington Post, The Atlantic, Madame Noire and other publications. Ms. Yawson has also appeared on the Today Show, Al Jazeera's The Stream, The Nate Berkus Show and Fox Business.
In 2013 a painful experience in which a barber called her that her son a real "nig***" and said that his hair was not pretty and should be shaved off inspired Ama to venture into writing children's books. Her first picture book, Sunne's Gift is about a magical being (magbee) with spirally hair that grows toward the sun named Sunne.
With this story, Ama hopes to affirm afro-textured hair while promoting a culture of love and acceptance in which readers learn that there is beauty and power in difference and that celebrating diversity is not just "nice to do", it is essential for our survival.
Through writing Sunne's Gift, Ms. Karikari-Yawson, Esq. discovered her passion for education and empowerment. She quit her six figure job as a corporate attorney to become a full-time storyteller, educator, researcher, and author. She currently tours the country reading Sunne’s Gift and providing performance-based lectures, workshops, and training sessions on self-esteem building, social and emotional learning, bullying prevention, workplace harassment, eliminating rape culture, body autonomy, diversity and inclusion, culturally responsive education, implicit bias, gender equality, African-American history, Women's history, Latin American history, Native American history, Non-traditional families, learning differences, and special needs.
Ama Karikari-Yawson's multidisciplinary approach to education which incorporates storytelling, music, dance, legal analysis, journalism, and social science research enabled Milestales to amass a long list of clients including New York City Department of Education, East Orange School District, Baldwin Union Free School District, Berkeley College, Mohawk Valley Community College, Queens Public Library, Nassau County Library System, Victory School Network, and many more. In 2016, Milestales began partnering with veteran storytellers, professors, educators, and thought leaders, in order to meet the demands of its growing client list.
This work has not gone unnoticed. LadyBrille Magazine recognized Ama Karikari-Yawson, Esq. as one of the
“Top 21 African Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2016”. Additionally, The Association of Black Educators of New York honored Ama Karikari-Yawson, Esq. with its “Fourteenth Annual Women's History Month Award in Recognition and Appreciation for Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment for Outstanding Service and Dedication”.
Ama Karikari-Yawson, currently lives in the New York City area with her husband and two pre-school aged boys. She can be reached at ama@milestales.com
Author of Sunne's Gift and Kwanzaa Nana Is Coming to Town
Ama earned a BA cum laude in Social Studies from Harvard University, an MBA from the Wharton School and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She has worked in finance and legal capacities at top Wall Street institutions such as Bank of America and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
Her unique understanding of social issues, business, wealth generation, and the law has enabled her to become a relevant voice on issues as varied as education, race relations, women's issues, dating, parenting, self-love, afro-textured hair, African identity, bullying, and entrepreneurship. Her articles have been published in MSNBC's The Grio, The Huffington Post, The Atlantic, Madame Noire and other publications. Ms. Yawson has also appeared on the Today Show, Al Jazeera's The Stream, The Nate Berkus Show and Fox Business.
In 2013 a painful experience in which a barber called her that her son a real "nig***" and said that his hair was not pretty and should be shaved off inspired Ama to venture into writing children's books. Her first picture book, Sunne's Gift is about a magical being (magbee) with spirally hair that grows toward the sun named Sunne.
With this story, Ama hopes to affirm afro-textured hair while promoting a culture of love and acceptance in which readers learn that there is beauty and power in difference and that celebrating diversity is not just "nice to do", it is essential for our survival.
Through writing Sunne's Gift, Ms. Karikari-Yawson, Esq. discovered her passion for education and empowerment. She quit her six figure job as a corporate attorney to become a full-time storyteller, educator, researcher, and author. She currently tours the country reading Sunne’s Gift and providing performance-based lectures, workshops, and training sessions on self-esteem building, social and emotional learning, bullying prevention, workplace harassment, eliminating rape culture, body autonomy, diversity and inclusion, culturally responsive education, implicit bias, gender equality, African-American history, Women's history, Latin American history, Native American history, Non-traditional families, learning differences, and special needs.
Ama Karikari-Yawson's multidisciplinary approach to education which incorporates storytelling, music, dance, legal analysis, journalism, and social science research enabled Milestales to amass a long list of clients including New York City Department of Education, East Orange School District, Baldwin Union Free School District, Berkeley College, Mohawk Valley Community College, Queens Public Library, Nassau County Library System, Victory School Network, and many more. In 2016, Milestales began partnering with veteran storytellers, professors, educators, and thought leaders, in order to meet the demands of its growing client list.
This work has not gone unnoticed. LadyBrille Magazine recognized Ama Karikari-Yawson, Esq. as one of the
“Top 21 African Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2016”. Additionally, The Association of Black Educators of New York honored Ama Karikari-Yawson, Esq. with its “Fourteenth Annual Women's History Month Award in Recognition and Appreciation for Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment for Outstanding Service and Dedication”.
Ama Karikari-Yawson, currently lives in the New York City area with her husband and two pre-school aged boys. She can be reached at ama@milestales.com