James Ujaama

Who is James Ujaama?

Earnest James Ujaama pled guilty on April 14, 2003 to conspiring to provide goods and services to the Taliban, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1965 as James Earnest Thompson, he moved with his family to Seattle at the age of 5. He converted to Islam and changed his last name to Ujaama. On June 10, 1994, then Washington state lawmaker Jesse Wineberry issued a certificate declaring James Ujaama Day in the state of Washington. Ujaama was also presented with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Senator Harry Reid, a similar certificate from former U.S. Congressman James H. Bilbray, a key to the City of Las Vegas, and was honored by KCPQ13 as a "Special Person."

James Ujaama established entrepreneur training programs for the City of Seattle and in the City of Las Vegas. He also wrote and published an entrepreneur training workbook, How to Be An Entrepreneur, and a novella, Coming Up. His novella was reviewed by VOYA Magazine and listed in Best Books for High School Readers and Best Books for Young Teen Readers.