LaShaya Darisaw
Lashaya Darisaw  |
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 Photo of Lashaya Darisaw (Politician & Philosopher), |
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Politician: City council member (at large) |
| Home town | Flint Michigan |
| Website | [Official Website Official Website] |
| Height | 5 ft 2 in |
| Education | University of Michigan–Flint |
Early Life
LaShaya Darisaw was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. From a young age, she was active in academic and extracurricular pursuits, reflecting an early interest in leadership and community engagement. While in high school, she was a member of Business Professionals of America and earned recognition on the National Honor Roll. Darisaw continued her involvement in student leadership and advocacy in higher education. She served as a student senator at both Mott Community College and the University of Michigan–Flint. She also participated in the African American Professionals of America at Baker College. Her dedication to academic achievement and social engagement earned her the Martin Luther King Scholarship Award in 2012. She has earned seven degrees, including a Master of Public Administration, and has received two honorary doctorates. Over more than fifteen years, she has volunteered extensively with social service organizations, further cultivating her commitment to community service and public advocacy.
Personal Life
LaShaya Darisaw was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. She maintains a public presence through social media and professional websites, sharing updates on her political, activist, and community work.[^1] Darisaw is known for her continued engagement with local civic and environmental initiatives, including public speaking, organizing, and mentorship programs in Flint and the surrounding region. She has publicly shared her involvement with community events, vigils, and grassroots campaigns on platforms such as Facebook and her official website, lashaya.org.[^2] Darisaw is the mother of two children Tiara Darisaw and Taylor Darisaw. She has spoken publicly about her daughters in media interviews including a 2024 Mid Michigan Now report in which Darisaw referenced her daughter while discussing political engagement and community concerns. Her daughter Tiara has also been publicly visible in local activism. She has attended protests with Darisaw and has spoken at public demonstrations including the 2021 “Death to Profit Over People” mock funeral event in Lansing where Flint residents protested a proposed asphalt plant. Darisaw and Tiara have appeared together in additional public forums such as panel discussions and were the opening speakers for the 2018 Society of Environmental Journalists conference an event documented by the organization. Darisaw has spoken in public settings about becoming a mother as a teenager and has connected that experience to her commitment to advocacy and community education. She has also identified herself publicly as a first generation college student. In several public talks and social posts she has acknowledged experiencing periods of homelessness earlier in life and has described those experiences as foundational to her later policy interests in housing stability and economic equity. Publicly verifiable social media accounts (e.g., Facebook).
Activism and Public Advocacy
LaShaya Darisaw has been a high‑impact organizer and advocate in Michigan since 2014, particularly in Flint, where her work centers on environmental justice, public health, racial equity, and community empowerment. She served as the Flint Organizing Director for Michigan United, a grassroots organization affiliated with People’s Action. People's Action In that role she coordinated community engagement, political organizing, and environmental justice campaigns. During the Flint water crisis, Darisaw was a vocal voice calling out systemic environmental racism. She worked with Flint residents and local officials to analyze and expose the city’s water contracts, and she emphasized how government failures disproportionately harmed low-income and Black neighborhoods. People's Action+2The Independent+2 She has pushed for structural change in Flint by advocating for the recognition of racism as a public health crisis, and by supporting the establishment of a police advisory council. According to public comments she submitted to a White House environmental equity council, she framed the opposition to the Ajax asphalt plant as not only an environmental issue, but a civil rights one. Regulations.gov Darisaw has also been active in local community protests and legal actions. In 2021, she spoke out against the proposed Ajax hot‑mix asphalt plant, criticizing its air pollution risks and proximity to public housing. BIN: Black Information Network+2Earthjustice+2 According to Earthjustice, she was part of a coalition of Flint groups that challenged the plant’s permit through civil rights and environmental law mechanisms. Earthjustice+2Earthjustice+2 In 2024, she helped lead the 10‑Year Commemoration Committee for the Flint water crisis. During a multi-day march and vigil, she delivered a keynote call for justice, demanding accountability, continuous infrastructure repair, and public health protections. People's Tribune Beyond organizing on environmental issues, she has done broad-based community advocacy in social justice. Her involvement in Michigan Liberation (as a former board president) and her long-term volunteer work with social service organizations reflect a commitment to political education, systemic reform, and healing in marginalized communities.
Political Career
Mount Morris City Council In 2024, LaShaya Darisaw was elected as an at‑large member of the Mount Morris City Council in Michigan. She was appointed to the Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission Alliance the same year. On council, Darisaw has continued to advocate for environmental justice and public health initiatives, and she motioned and voted to establish a Junior Firefighters program for the city of Mount Morris, providing youth with opportunities to engage in public safety and civic service. (cityofmtmorris.org) Her election was publicly endorsed by Michigan United Action, 2018 Michigan House Campaign Darisaw ran as a Democratic candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives, representing District 49, in 2018. Her campaign emphasized government accountability, environmental justice, and community engagement. She received endorsements from Planned Parenthood during the primary election. Although she did not win the primary, her campaign attracted local media attention and highlighted her focus on social equity, environmental policy, and public engagement. (ballotpedia.org)
Policy and Advocacy Focus
LaShaya Darisaw’s policy agenda centers on environmental justice, public health, racial equity, and community empowerment. Her advocacy is deeply tied to her organizing work with several coalitions and grassroots groups, including Michigan United, People’s Action, and coalitions opposing environmental hazards in Flint. As Flint Organizing Director for Michigan United, Darisaw has worked on campaigns demanding accountability for contaminated water and ensuring that long‑term infrastructure investment serves the community rather than private interests. People's Action
She has pushed for national and federal recognition of environmental racism. In 2021, she submitted written testimony to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, calling on federal officials to prioritize communities exposed to environmental harm.
Darisaw has also played a central role in local environmental justice actions, such as the coalition against the proposed Ajax asphalt plant. As a Michigan United organizer, she publicly criticized the plant’s potential health impact on Flint residents and helped mobilize community resistance. Poor People's Campaign
Her advocacy has bridged together organizing, government engagement, and coalition-building. Through her work she has helped raise awareness of systemic inequities in Flint — especially around corporate and governmental accountability — and has sought sustainable policy solutions that center justice and equity.
Media Coverage
LaShaya Darisaw has attracted significant coverage across national and international media, public radio, online platforms, and local outlets for her activism, organizing, and public service — particularly on environmental justice, the Flint water crisis, and civic engagement. Darisaw has appeared in Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018), which addresses contemporary political and social issues including the Flint water crisis; her appearance is verifiable by viewing the film. She has been featured on MSNBC, including All In with Chris Hayes, discussing Flint water issues and civic engagement. She appeared on The Young Turks (TYT) discussing Flint and broader justice issues. Her international visibility includes a profile in the New Zealand Listener in the article “Trump Land,” highlighting her environmental justice activism. In Politico, Darisaw was featured as part of a cohort of Flint mothers visiting Hoosick Falls, New York, sharing advocacy strategies for communities affected by water contamination. Coverage by the Times Union emphasized solidarity between Flint and other environmental justice communities. WAMC Public Radio similarly reported on her commentary during the Hoosick Falls visit, citing her insights into cross-community organizing. The Manchester Journal documented her participation, highlighting grassroots advocacy. The Seattle Times referenced her activism in broader reporting on Flint politics, including civic mobilization following the water crisis. FOX 2 Detroit reported on her political engagement and activism in Flint and Michigan. ABC 12 covered her organizing with Michigan United, specifically calls for independent water testing in Flint. ABC 17 News reported her participation in a vigil protesting a proposed asphalt plant, linking her environmental justice work to public health and policy action. On public radio, Darisaw was quoted in a widely syndicated Michigan Radio / NPR segment (2018) titled “In Flint, Residents Scramble To Get The Last Cases Of State‑Provided Bottled Water”, which was broadcast on All Things Considered (Weekend), KCUR, North Country Public Radio, KNKX, WRVO, WRKF, and WFSU. She discussed community mistrust of Flint’s water system despite official assurances. Her testimony to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council in 2021 is included in public records, addressing systemic environmental racism and federal accountability in communities facing environmental harm. Community-focused publications have also documented her organizing: People’s Tribune quoted her as a lead organizer in the 10‑year commemoration march for the Flint water crisis, highlighting her role in infrastructure accountability and justice. Flint Beat reported on a candlelight vigil she helped organize, noting the event’s symbolic connection to Flint’s protest history and labor legacy. Her environmental justice work aligns with nonprofit advocacy: NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) coverage cites Flint organizing efforts aligned with her initiatives.
Social Profiles
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