#FamilyFaithFuture
Supporting Virginia’s 9th District.
Taysha is a resident of Wise County, making her home in Big Stone Gap, with her young son, Aiden. She was born in Lawton, OK, and is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma. She moved to Virginia in 2011 shortly after her father became the Director of Flatwoods Job Civilian Conservation Center in Coeburn, VA.
Soon after graduating from UVA-Wise in 2018 with a BA in Communications, Taysha began her career at the Appalachian Community Fund as a Regional Organizer and was quickly promoted to her current position as the Donor Engagement Coordinator. Since making Virginia her home, she has been an active member of her community. She is the President of Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, active in Lonesome Pine Mutual Aid, and a gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice.
“I come from a culture where preserving and carrying forward our peoples’ traditions and values is a duty. I also recognize that true success requires generational thinking and looking ahead beyond ourselves because what we do today, good or bad, is the next generation’s inheritance".”
“As we look to the future, we must preserve our traditional values in the 9th, but we must also embrace the youth of our communities and what they want and deserve.”
Advocate
“We deserve our seat at the table to act on behalf of us ALL, not just a few.”
“We deserve good education for our children, we deserve clean drinking water, we deserve to have jobs that allow us to provide for our families, we deserve a quality of life that keeps our youth home.”
“We deserve to have faith in our representatives.“
“We deserve to have a fierce friend in Congress fighting every day for what matters!”
Act
On January 8th Taysha announced her intention to run at Mountain Empire Community College in front of 40 supporters.
” My mother named me “Taysha”, which means friend in our Caddo language. It is very fitting because I honestly believe that when we come together, listen to each other and learn from each other, we can always find that common ground. Common ground that allows us to find the best solutions and move forward as a group.”
“As an experienced grassroots organizer, I know how tough it can be in rural communities. I stay dedicated because I know the treasure that is our mountains and our people. I also know the challenges.”
— Jan 8th
Representing the Alliance for Appalachia at the Climate Justice Alliance National Meeting in New Mexico.
Speaking in Washington D.C on behalf of the Alliance for Appalachia on the EJ4ALL ACT. 2021
Taysha and her son Aiden, working the table for the Clinch River Valley Initiative
Lonesome Pine Mutual Aid holiday grocery giveaway
State Lobbying Day in Richmond 2019
Lonesome Pine Mutual Aid monthly grocery giveaway
Virginia's Council on Environmental Justice
Taysha at the Governor's Mansion with outgoing Governor Northam for Native American History Month
Taysha with a local Black Lung Chapter leader
Taysha and AmeriCorps Vista Alumni Austin Counts
Taysha and the Chief of the Huni Kuin tribe at the Climate Justice Alliance Conference
Taysha and Tom Goldtooth, Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network
Taysha with Matt Hepler water testing on a citizen inspection
Taysha with members of the Virginia's Council on Environmental Justice
Heading to D.C to advocate for Black Lung Benefits
AmeriCorps VISTA educational outreach
The Alliance for Appalachia