Biography

Ya-Sin is an emerging leader and director of programs and development at Hijra House, a faith-based community organization in Biloxi. As a community organizer, Ya-Sin’s work focuses on bridge-building in black and brown communities on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and particularly on supporting young men of color. In the wake of multiple disasters on the coast, he has been instrumental in helping African-American and Vietnamese communities participate in public discussions on the reconstruction and rebuilding process. Ya-Sin previously served as program manager for the Biloxi Branch of the NAACP before earning a contract with the local Community Action Agency to provide weatherization services for low-income households, a project that provided work for a number of previously incarcerated African-American men.