Hello Hama,
I was one of the students in attendance for your presentation yesterday afternoon at Edgewood College. Firstly, I want to apologize for not asking you a question; I get nervous speaking in front of strangers so I envy you for your ability to get up in front of a room full of people as you did.
Secondly, I just wanted to write you today to say thank you, not only for your inspiring speech but for all you do for the female and international community. As an inspiring female entrepreneur myself, your talk gave me hope that I can someday turn my dream into a reality just like you did. Your fearlessness to leave your secure job as a consultant to chase after your passion to help others gives me comfort in knowing that I'm not a lone crazy person; that it's okay to not walk a straight path through life. You've helped relight my entrepreneurial fire that's been slowly smoldering out.
I hope to see you speak again in the future. Furthermore, I hope to find your line at Bergdorf's and Barney's someday, right alongside Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
Best Regards,
Hama Hinnawi, humanitarian fashion designer and founder of HAMA, was invited as a featured speaker at the launch of Tatreez Circle, a cultural wellness program hosted by MENA Community Center in Chicago. In this community-centered event, Hama explored the history and meaning of Palestinian tatreez embroidery, highlighting its roots in storytelling, identity, and resistance. She also shared how HAMA empowers refugee women by transforming traditional embroidery into high-fashion pieces while preserving heritage and supporting economic sustainability. This event brought together Chicago’s Arab and Palestinian communities to honor embroidery as a tool of cultural preservation, women’s empowerment, and intergenerational healing.