As the sun began to fade and students trickled off campus Sept. 23, the attendees of “Grounds for Change: Coffee with Artivists” made their way toTraditions, next to Tommy’s Place. 

The evening was hosted by Arts in Action, a part of Visions and Voices dedicated to fostering social change through collaborative art-making. 

Upon check-in, each participant was greeted with pins, tote bags and mints before being handed a white ticket, redeemable at the espresso bar. The event space was filled with the inviting aroma of freshly-ground coffee beans, accompanied by the low hum of layered conversation. 

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South LA Cafe provided an eclectic coffee menu featuring unique latte flavors like horchata, rose and hibiscus alongside the classic vanilla and caramel. With cups in hand, guests settled into the cozy, teal-and-magenta-lit atmosphere, ready for an evening of creativity and conversation.

The program officially began at 5:15 p.m. with Lucy Zepeda, the lead producer of Arts in Action, opening the event with a thoughtful, thorough land acknowledgment. She then introduced the evening’s hosts: Mala Muñoz and Diosa Femme. Together, this dynamic duo are the Latina producers, writers and hosts behind the critically acclaimed podcast Locatora Radio. 

Zepeda explained that selecting Muñoz and Femme to lead the conversation felt like an organic choice. Muñoz is currently pursuing a master’s degree in fine arts, while Femme holds a master’s degree in specialized journalism from the University.

“I just felt it would be really important to have whoever was interviewing, whoever was on stage, that they would have some sort of connection to USC,” Zepeda said. 

The program continued with a short video projected onto the screens, offering a glimpse into the world of Locatora Radio. The video featured an amalgamation of podcast clips that introduced the duo, detailing the origins of their show and its rise to critical acclaim. Interspersed with rave reviews, the video also showcased a montage of visually striking b-roll of Muñoz and Femme, capturing their powerful presence and vibrant personalities as they navigated the spaces that have shaped their work.

Muñoz and Femme briefly reflected on the journey of Locatora Radio since its inception in 2016, expressing gratitude for how far they had come. They then welcomed special guest D’Lo to the stage. A similar highlight reel of film clips played on the screens, showcasing D’Lo’s diverse, multifaceted career. 

As a queer, transgender Tamil-Sri Lankan-American creative and current Annenberg Innovation Lab Fellow, D’Lo’s career spans a wide range of mediums, including solo theater, stand-up comedy, TV, film, plays, essays and poetry.

The conversation began with D’Lo reflecting on his journey of self-discovery, touching on the intersections of his cultural, queer and artistic identities. He shared personal stories, including how he adopted the name “D’Lo,” a nickname originally given to him by his mother. 

Over time, as he dived into the arts — particularly hip-hop and R&B — the name stuck and became his chosen identity as an artist. Though the anecdotes were vulnerable, D’Lo’s natural sense of humor shined through to keep the energy bright.

D’Lo recounted his time as a student at UCLA, where he first encountered what he referred to as “social justice hip-hop” — a powerful intersection between politics and art. He candidly reflected on the lack of political representation for South Asians on campus, noting that there were no welcoming arms for Tamil or Sri Lankan individuals like himself. 

After college, D’Lo’s journey of finding his place continued as he became actively involved with the controversial Revolutionary Communist Party, the same organization that had interrupted a previous Visions and Voices event addressing sexual assault in 2019, though the work D’Lo did with said organization was on anti-police brutality efforts. It was around this time of the conversation when D’Lo gave kudos to his mentors. 

“A mentor is someone who pays you mind and really, really believes in what you’re doing and wants to support you in ways that will help you thrive,” D’Lo said. 

He moved to New York, where he focused on activism for political prisoners and was introduced to the work of a future mentor, Susana Cook, an Argentine, lesbian, comedic theater artist. 

“So New York was where I was learning how to adult, how to be as a queer person, how to be a queer artist,” D’Lo said. 

Through this mentorship and time in New York, D’Lo eventually gained recognition as a comic. 

“Because most of my mentors were Black lesbians or Chicana lesbians, and because I didn’t have a South Asian base, I was welcomed into these spaces as a non-Black or non-Chicano person,” D’Lo said. “These were people who were like, ‘Yo, come. Know you’re with us. We believe in the work that you’re doing.’” 

The mentorship D’Lo received shaped his audience and message and now informs his own approach to mentorship. He shared that he recognizes the border messages of looking beyond personal issues and connecting those experiences with others. The multihyphenate, multidisciplinary approach allows him to reach a pan-Black, Indigenous and people of color audience. 

After the conversation with Muñoz and Femme, the floor opened for a Q&A session with the audience. During this panel, D’Lo shared insights on building synergy between projects and offered advice to younger artists. “The way that I sustain on a spiritual level, is by surrounding myself with my chosen family,” D’Lo said. “They allow me to dream as an artist, and to be able to dream is the only thing that has kept me planted.”

John Broadway, a graduate student studying specialized journalism, felt that giving space for these conversations and learning from individuals like D’Lo was empowering. 

“I think sometimes it can be very isolating being an artist-activist because a lot of times spaces aren’t built to be accepting,” Broadway said. “So I found that in arts activism — artivist spaces — it makes me feel like a part of a community that gets it.”

The conversation concluded with D’Lo sharing a brief overview of his upcoming project, “Cry with You (U.N.C.L.E.S. Project: U Not Crying Leaves Everyone Suffering).” This installation, a part of the For Freedoms Congress, will be featured at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 12 to 2 p.m. D’Lo expressed excitement for the project, which promises to further explore themes of vulnerability and collective healing by providing cis and trans men of color a space to cry, be comforted by other men of color and share in each other’s grief.

“I’m calling it a busking experiment, because I want this to pop up everywhere and let people see and come and cry with us,” D’Lo said.