Student of Life — Amini Elizabeth Bonane

As Seen On:

The Guardian • Voice of America • Inside Scoop • Tedx • Vice • ABC • CBS • FoxSoul • USA Today • Leading Ladies Africa • Steve Harvey Morning Show • Radio One DC • Great Day Washington

About

Amini Bonane is a Congolese American Commissioner, community organizer, and award-winning advocate for women & girls.

She created Brains Then Beauty ™ in 2018; after witnessing the lack of accessible spaces, dedicated to the academic, professional, and personal development of marginalized youth, as they transition to and from college. She also launched a jewelry line called Nchi J. Co, that donates its profits to The Malaika School.

As a community organizer and advocate, Amini has successfully lobbied for education, children, and women’s rights. During her reign as the 2018 Miss RD Congo USA 1RU, Amini proposed legislation, for George Mason to become the 1st Conflict Free Campus in Virginia. It was unanimously passed, after meetings and support from: U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, and his wife Interim President & Former 1st Lady Anne Holton. As Miss Black DC 2020, Amini took a stand against the media’s bias in its coverage of missing women of color. Her platform, called Find My Sister, became a national campaign to end the violence black women & girls face at home, at work, in school, online, and at leisure. Amini’s fear of public speaking came to an end, when she was given opportunities to spread awareness across the DMV and internationally.

As a delegate for Miss Africa USA, Amini created a petition to World Bank to restore funding to areas desperately in need of care. Forbes Africa invited Amini to attend the 2023 Leading Women Summit in South Africa, and she was also approved by the UN Secretariat, to share her platform, “From Reactive To Proactive”, at the international United Nations RP23 Conference.

Amini’s leadership is rooted in protecting people who are too often unseen. After years of national advocacy for missing women of color, Amini had a life-changing encounter in 2022 on her daily bus ride to work, when an unhoused woman sought protection after being assaulted the night before by men living in the same encampment—an experience that revealed how violence, racial inequity, and homelessness are intertwined. Determined to act, she worked with the Mayor and City Council to launch the Fairfax Homelessness Task Force, earning unanimous election as Chair. Her work now bridges these missions, linking her long-standing advocacy for missing women of color to a citywide agenda centered on housing justice, safety, and human dignity.

DC’s Mayor Muriel Bowser has personally commended Amini for her work.
Amini is also the recipient of: the 2018 Seeds of Change Community Engagement Medallion, the 2018 Distinguished Quill Award for Community Engagement, the 2019 MLK Resounding Voice Award, the 2020 Freedom Fighters Fund, the 2021 Miss Black USA Community Activist Award, the 2021 Karen Arrington Trailblazer Award, the 2022 Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 Honoree List, the 2022 Fairfax County Social Justice Service Award, the 2023 President’s Volunteer Service Award, the 2023 Pride Network Transformational Leadership Grant, a 2024 United Nations M.I.P.A.D. nomination, and recognized as a finalist for the Fairfax City 2025 Woman of Influence, before being appointed to the Commission For Women.

With higher purpose guiding every chapter of her life, Amini built a professional career in the civic technology space rooted in advocacy, community organizing, and expanding access to power. She was recently appointed to serve on the Young Democrats of America executive board, as Eastern Region Political Director. Amini now works full-time as an organizer, helping elect three statewide history-makers in Virginia: the Commonwealth’s first woman Governor, the first Muslim American woman Lieutenant Governor in U.S. history, and Virginia’s first Black Attorney General. Her civic leadership extends beyond elections—she is an Ambassador for the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, Service Chair of her Rotary Club, and a proud member of the Women’s Club of Fairfax. Across all her roles, she brings heart-centered leadership for a coordinated approach that protects the most vulnerable, and strengthens community well-being across Fairfax.