Diop, Aminata

 

Hey everyone! My name is Aminata Diop (she/her/hers) and I am a current 3rd year double majoring in World Arts and Cultures (WAC) and African American Studies. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California (on the land the Tongva peoples).  You can either call me "Ami" or Aminata (pronounced: ah-me-nott-uh), both work for me. I identify as a multi media artist in the sense that I have in the past and would love in the future to explore different areas of art ranging from music (singing/songwriting), musical theatre, acting, painting/drawing, poetry, dance, screenwriting, and even stick and poke tattooing. But to be fair, I'd say that my primary medium is writing and singing. I am a part of a neo-soul duo called JORDAN, and prior to the pandemic, we were blessed with opportunities to  perform at the Museum of Contemporary Art in DTLA, in events with March for Our Lives and Black Lives Matter, and even at shows around the UCLA area. ( We have our debut album coming out in the next month which I am extremely excited for and would love to share with folks if interested). A few random fun facts, I am a Leo sun, I am a dog mama to my little terrier Astro, I am an empath, my current favorite song is "You, at the End" by Lafawndah, and I will NOT ever eat a strawberry. (Also if you love plants, let's be buddies!)

I have always been extremely interested in all types of arts and especially arts from various cultures would be such a blessing to engage with and learn about the various mediums that can be explored and the cultural origins that influence them. I, as an Arts Activist stream in my WAC major am also a huge advocate of art and expression being forms of resistance, and even more, a form of liberation. I want to be inspired and am very excited to learn about Chicanx and Latinx artists especially considering that I live in LA and am surrounded with so much art, but have not had much knowledge about the amazing people behind it. 

I plan to graduate Spring 2022 with two Bachelors degrees (God willing!!), and I hope to work in spaces that prioritize community healing and arts activism, centering on holistic wellness, access to healthy foods, mental health awareness, and youth programs. As a musician it would mean everything to me to be able to work and give back to the places that made me who I am today, and to start a few projects with collaboration with other artists and activists. I really look forward to meeting everyone, but also making valuable connections and expanding my art family.