Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dajai Monae. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dajai, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
Often times, when people are in environments that are unfamiliar they shrink or become timid. The life hack to this is to learn to be adaptable. I’ve come far within my community by being adaptable, teachable and inquisitive. I may not look like everyone in the room or have the same story as many in the room but one of the strongest qualities I have within is the will to learn and network. How did this person get to where they are and what can I learn from them and apply to my life. Questions, conversations, and exchange of information. That’s how you are effective and successful in a room that is unfamiliar territory.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
In 2017, I began my social media ranting of the injustice minorities face within this country daily. I did not have an expected goal of how far my voice would reach, I just wanted to educate my peers. In my mind, I’m thinking “we’re young, this is our generation, our time. We can do it! We can be that change.”
What I didn’t know is, everyone does not share the same passion as I and everyone is not as educated as I am on the issues we face. So my plan to action is to educate, lead by example, then execute together. Through many political and community events, protests, organizing and city meetings I learned more about the importance of education, advocacy and union.
My platform has grow rapidly as I’ve grown in knowledge as well as leadership. I am an activist that advocates for equality, justice and humanity for the people. Bringing awareness to bias, and unfair actions towards ethnic group. Or unjustified Circumstance. My goal is to create unity and equality by bringing awareness to racial injustices, deemed and seen as normal, due to the recent instilling of some, that injustice, is acceptable. As a great man once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” My solution is to inform the community of unfair acts, their rights and educate people on equality and unity by setting examples of kindness and love.
In 2018, I formed a nonprofit organization that focuses on youth literacy and homelessness. My organization gives back to the homeless and the youth of our community by hosting events once a month. Today, in 2023 I have fed over 500 homeless people, hosted over 50 community events with partnership from other organizations all while obtaining two college degrees and becoming a mother.
In summary, Dajai Monae is an activist that fights towards justice for minorities while also advocating for youth literacy. My ultimate goal for the Dallas community is to open a community building, for children to attend after school for academic tutoring, literacy improvement and mentoring programs. Also continue ti fight for minorities and pave the way for future leaders in this country.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I believe that authenticity and passion is the driving factor for how far you will go within your journey. The infamous quote “Nothing great has ever been accomplished without passion” was instilled in my drive to keep advocating, keep organizing, keep educating, keep learning. Even when there was an audience of one person, my passion wouldn’t allow me to stop.
Being teachable is also another quality that is impactful for the growth of your journey. Learning and allowing someone to teach you, mentor you, coach you or guide you while being receptive to the information will take you further.
My advice for beginners is to keep your passion, be adaptable and teachable, and trust the process.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Yes! I am so big on community and networking so my door is always open to anyone who wants to collaborate with community events.
I would love to work with more high school kids or college kids with giving back to the homeless or going to family shelters and speaking with the youth there. I would love to collaborate with the radio stations within Dallas to promote the importance of youth literacy as well as homelessness. I have so many ideas of events I would like to organize that reaches all of DFW and I know I would need all hands on deck to succeed.
My socials are Dajai Monae across all platforms. I would love to collaborate with veterans within the nonprofit industry, up and coming organizations, or anyone who wants to organize. I genuinely just love what I do and would like likeminded people who want to help others in the community.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Dajaimonae
- Facebook: Dajai Monae
- Linkedin: https://linktr.ee/dajaimonae?fbclid=IwAR2GTSBJX1J52UlhcRCU4abScb65iAqFk6Pn4ZyrRu7roXSla-YD83VFFiQ
Image Credits
Crowned Candids
