Welcome to Threadlines, our monthly blog for celebrating and spotlighting our ardent fans. This month's pop-off queen is Aria Camaione-Lind, a woman who walks her Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) talk.
I met Aria 19 years ago when our children were in Ms. Jeannette’s Gentle Lamb Day Care and the trust she evoked in me made me know that we’ll be livelong friends. And tru that! The Camaione-Lind household was the first non-relative sleepover for my 3-ish year daughter Mansa.
Even before DEI become fashionable, Aria was breathing and living that ethos. And she genuinely walks the talk on 3 levels: via her time, treasure and talent. She lives in the city of Rochester and all 3 of her children attended Rochester City Schools—Walter Cooper Academy and School of the Arts. She was and is actively involved in her children’s school: from co-leading a Girl Scout Troop for nearly a decade, volunteering at school and district level parent leadership organizations, and working with community organizations to get children and families what they need to be successful. Aria is a parent advocate unparalleled.
Her advocacy extends from her family to the wider community. During the George Floyd and Daniel Prude protests in 2020/21, Aria participated in the demonstrations led by Free the People Roc. Being pepper sprayed, shot with rubber bullets and pepper balls by Rochester City Police didn’t stop her from marching and communicating with Mayor Lovely Warren and her administration about police brutality on black and brown Rochesterians.
Her social justice activism continues online with her annual Juneteenth appeal for individual wealth transfer from the white to black community. She’s the first person that I saw on Facebook urging her fellow white citizens during Juneteenth to share some of their treasures with their African-American brethren. For the past 6-7 year, Aria would diplomatically ask her black friends and colleagues to share their Cash App or Venmo handles for some “wealth transfer” on her social media platforms.
The talented Aria runs Aria Strategies LLC, a strategic "turnkey consulting firm" designed to provide comprehensive solutions for mission-driven organizations. Her company specializes in helping nonprofits, cultural institutions, and educational organizations improve their operations, governance, and fundraising capabilities. Aria Strategies was the arts administrator for the My Rochester Mural art project, part of Rochester's public arts programs, which aims to engage local artists and community members in creating public art throughout the city. Her firm begins facilitating the strategic planning process for Susan B. Anthony House and Museum in October. In addition, she hosted the Amplify Good podcast from 2020 to 2024. The podcast explores positive initiatives people are undertaking to improve society. The podcast features conversations with guests from various backgrounds who are working to make a positive impact. (She interviewed me for her podcast, too!)
Here's to Aria and our lifelong friendship, Mansawear fan and a woman who not only talks the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion talk but walks the walk, too!
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