Taysir headshot

Emerson Fellow

Maryam Taysir

29th Class, 2022-2023

Maryam Taysir graduated from Rhodes College with a major in Business Management and a minor in Jewish, Islamic, & Middle East Studies, but her biggest accomplishment is being the eldest sister of five siblings. Maryam was the community service chair for 901 Ummah, a nonprofit organization that fosters a productive Muslim community that reaches across the city of Memphis to inspire, create, and empower. She manages ‘Feed the City’, a program that aims to eliminate food insecurity in downtown Memphis by providing hot, nutritious, and multicultural meals to those in need. She is the co-founder and president of the campus organization, Students for Justice in Palestine, which stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle for self-determination, justice, and equality through educational programming. She was also a mentor for the Multicultural Vision Program (MVP) at Rhodes as well as a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion intern at Autozone, Inc.

Field placement: Maryland Hunger Solutions

Baltimore, Maryland

Maryam worked in Baltimore, Maryland with Maryland Hunger Solutions. At MDHS, she contributed to SNAP outreach efforts, delivered recommendations for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' Healthy Food Access Policy Compendium, and contributed to farm-to-freezer research for the state’s Food Systems Resiliency Council.

Policy placement: Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice

Washington, D.C.

Maryam primarily works with the Policy team, conducting research and developing policy fact sheets and briefings for the Poor People's Campaign's specific policy demands. She also organizes educational and policy materials, social media content, public events, and conversations with impacted people for the PPC's Moral Action Congress.

Publications & Blog Posts