Meet Naaji (she/her)

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Director, actress, and producer based in New York. As a storyteller behind and in front of the camera, she took time to share with us her work and what Support means to her.

I’m grateful to be able to say that my family, friends, and partner are EXTREMELY supportive of my work and choices. Belief is everything. When my belief in my winding path begins to falter, I have a tribe of people reminding me that I’m exactly where I need to be, doing exactly what I should be doing, and telling me to keep marching. I can confidently say that I wouldn’t have made it this far without their love and support.

My advice to BIPOC creatives starting out is: don’t second-guess your ideas, or whether you belong. Know that your ideas and experiences matter just as much and that they have special value because they are different. Your differences are your strengths! Your POV is needed. Your own success doesn't just ride on it: your win is a win for the whole community. Take it all the way!

BIPOC representation is increasingly important to me, as I continue to realize how lack of BIPOC representation has affected me (and so many of us). Adequate representation means that we don’t have to grow up believing certain ideas, aspirations, and experiences are reserved for a foreign majority. Great art is meant to make us see our world and ourselves in a new way. Without BIPOC representation, minority communities are robbed of that experience because they are never afforded an opportunity to see themselves in homogeneous art.

I am Ghanaian, French, Norwegian, Native American, German... and the list goes on. One of the things I value most about my varied lineage is the exposure to diverse points of view. So much of culture is derived from stories we pass down about our communities, and learning about my heritage has fueled the storyteller inside of me— carrying treasured stories, understanding the minds of different characters, and being able to imagine beyond what's in front of me.