Women’s Dignity School Celebrates One Year — and You’re Invited!
Published October 2, 2026
Earlier this year, I invited you to attend the Women’s Dignity School West African Cultural Event. Through writing that article, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and become friends with Women’s Dignity School Executive Director Ibrahim (Ba) Dembele—a friendship I am truly grateful for.
Have you ever met someone so cool that you immediately want to introduce them to everyone you know? For me, that’s Ba, his mama, Mariam Dembele, and the entire Women’s Dignity School team. They are doing remarkable work here in Washington State and all the way across the world in Mali, Africa, building community, creating opportunities, and making a difference in the lives of others.
Their work is truly worth celebrating, and I’d love to invite you to join me for their first anniversary celebration and Night of Gratitude! The evening will feature delicious African cuisine prepared by Mariam herself, along with an opportunity to hear about all that this 501(c)(3) organization has accomplished over the past year, both here and abroad, and their exciting plans for the future.
Mark your calendars for October 10th, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at the Friendly Meetinghouse, 3201 Boston Harbor Rd NE, Olympia, WA 98506.
You will also have opportunities to get personally involved in the work Women’s Dignity School is doing right here in Thurston County to empower immigrants and support immigrant families. There truly is something for everyone with an open mind and a loving heart in this space.
Sure, I could sit down and tell you all about this event and try to capture the incredible impact of the conversations happening through Women’s Dignity School. Honestly, I think it’s much better to let you join the conversation yourself!
So, grab a cup of coffee, settle in with a warm blanket, and enjoy this conversation with Ba Dembele!
The Conversation
Benton: What will be taking place during your first anniversary event?
Dembele: “We are small, but we have been doing very important work with immigrant support and free immigrant leadership training. During the event, we’ll go over our milestones—not just here in the US, but in Mali, West Africa. We received a grant that let us purchase new sewing machines, which we provided to women in Mali. We are excited to share their stories with the community, and share ways people can get involved here locally as well as support the work being done in West Africa.”
Benton: You mentioned that Women’s Dignity School does free immigrant leadership training. What does that typically look like?
Dembele: “We are showing immigrants how to get involved and become active participants in the community, and our recent work has leaned towards civic engagement.”
“One of the things we have noticed is that voter registration and civic engagement among immigrants is fairly low because they don’t know how to navigate the system here in the US. The research I read the other day described how once an immigrant knows their rights and understands the voting system, they tend to vote more and ultimately become leaders in the community. We want to help bridge potential gaps in understanding and help immigrants enter into this part of civic engagement, one step at a time. It all goes with the idea of ‘how do you lead yourself, how do you lead other people and community?’”
“We have a series, “From Voices to Action,” that empowers immigrants to be active in their own communities, going beyond voting, into doing things like attending city council meetings, running for a school board position, or even becoming an advisor to [a group or cause they are passionate about].”
“There are decisions that are being taken elsewhere that impact immigrants, and when they are not aware of it, sometimes the damage is already done. If immigrants get involved, they can use their voice to influence those decisions.”
“Once people learn that something is going on that could impact them or their loved ones, they want to take action.”
Benton: I love that you are encouraging people that their voice does matter, and I think it goes beyond the idea of just being a good citizen or a good person. Could you go deeper into why you think civic engagement is important?
Dembele: “You are always going to have people who [may not agree with you or want to engage in the causes you care about], but the bigger why is that these people are living in isolation. I would say for 90% of my immigrant friends, all they know is work and home. They are less active in non-profit work or civic engagement. That’s why we wanted to create a safe space first in our Multi-Cultural Leadership series, and that’s why we take everything one step at a time. We’ve created a space where people can ask questions, have conversations, and be their authentic selves. ”
Benton: I love the empowerment piece of the work you are doing. Earlier, you mentioned that your organization also does immigrant support work. Can you tell me more about that?
Dembele: “Our non-profit is a part of the Washington State Coalition of African Community Leaders (WSCACL). That tells you our commitment to building power here in the state of Washington, but how could you build power [or truly “empower”] if you don’t have trust?”
“Trust begins when people are hurting, scared to leave their house, you showing up and reminding them that their voice matters, that there are people in the community who care about them and their livelihood…who see them.”
“You can’t make a real impact in the community without trust. During this crisis, we have been showing up with things like diapers for kids and other support. People directly call me now for help because they know they are safe with me. There have been stories where someone said, ‘My husband has been arrested; I’m struggling to pay for this. Is there anything you can do to help? Even if we can’t directly pay a bill, we can provide what we can to help and then directly connect them with someone who can [further assist them with their needs].”
“Being able to help brings me so much joy!”
Benton: Will you be having more events like the West African Cultural Event in the future?
Dembele: “Yes, we will be having more in 2027, which is why we want people to come to our upcoming event so people can get to know us.”
“We are also looking at public events we can participate in [email Ibrahimdembele@infowomensdignityschool.org if you have information on upcoming events].”
Benton: Someone reading this article might ask, what can I do to help? How would you respond to that?
Dembele: “At our event, we will be talking about different volunteer opportunities. I personally have a full-time job on top of the work I am doing here. We would appreciate anyone who has extra time to give, or who might be interested in volunteer-based internships. I can promise you, you won’t be bored!”
“There are a variety of opportunities, whether it be with administrative work, grants, or even things like boxing up food or supplies that staff will distribute to our immigrant community members in need.”
Benton: Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers?
Dembele: “Yes, we’re honored to welcome Chester "Chet" Corpt, who will perform on the kora, the 21-string West African harp, at the event. Chet began studying the kora in 2003 with noted artist Kane Mathis. At his teacher's urging, he traveled to Brikama, The Gambia , West Africa, to learn from the late, great Malamini Jobarteh, one of the touring kora masters who first brought the instrument to American audiences in the '80s and '90s. The kora grew out of the Mande tradition that began in Mali , West Africa, around 1300 C.E. and spread across West Africa. For generations, it was the instrument of the Jeli, the oral historians who carry a community's most important stories. Malamini gave Chet his blessing to take up a similar role here in America, and we can't think of a better way to honor the stories our community has written this year.”