For as long as he can remember, Diop has believed that leadership means creating opportunity for others. At Battle Creek Central High School, he took on leadership roles through which he created real opportunities to learn and grow for students who are often overlooked. He became a youth grantmaker with the Battle Creek Community Foundation and the Mott Foundation, working to expand service learning in schools and promote economic prosperity in communities across Michigan.

 

Diop went on to study public policy at Michigan State University, where he learned how to bring advocates, policymakers, and the private sector together to ensure that policy always reflects the people’s voice. After graduation, he moved to Washington, D.C. to continue his work on behalf of families like his own.

 

In D.C., Diop fought for a fair immigration system, expanded access to rural broadband for communities like those in MI-04, and took on Wall Street’s extraction of wealth from working people. As an organizer, he worked on electoral campaigns to empower communities to perform their civic duty and make their voices heard in the halls of power. Later, as a Congressional staffer, he not only built bridges by connecting constituents to vital public services and strengthening their ties to government, but also led efforts to organize workers to unionize on Capitol Hill – because Diop knows that unionized labor is good for business and workers. Especially when that business is public service.

 

Throughout his career, Diop has sought to bring people together, especially when they disagree. He understands that Southwest Michigan is home to people of all political stripes, and that real progress requires listening, respect, and finding common ground. Whether it was building coalitions in Washington or working with neighbors back home, Diop has proven that unity is possible even in divided times.

 

Now, Diop is back home in Michigan and running for Congress to give Southwest Michigan a fighter in Washington. He doesn’t just know this community – he has been serving it for years. Diop believes that the way forward isn’t red or blue, but rooted in shared values of hard work, fairness, and opportunity. It’s time to elect one of us to fight for all of us.