Sumarha Tariq

Sumarha (she/her) is a senior at Yale University studying Ethnicity, Race, & Migration and pursuing an Intensive Certificate in Education Studies. Born and raised in Astoria, Queens, New York City, Sumarha also has roots in Peru and Pakistan. Her research centers on the usage of political smear campaigns against Muslim politicians, the racialization of Islam, and the use of anti-communist and anti-Muslim rhetoric as tools of exclusion in American politics and democracy.

On campus, Sumarha serves as Co-President of the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, Co-President of the Yale Interpretation Network, Editor-in-Chief of Claro Que Sí: Yale's Premier Undergraduate Latine Magazine, and as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for Yale Law School's Prison Letter Project. Previously, she served as Co-Head Student Coordinator for La Casa Cultural, Co-President of Fashion Lifestyle at Yale, and as founding board member of Yale Lawtinas.

Outside of Yale, Sumarha serves as a Legal Intake Team Member with the ACLU's New York chapter, a Research Aide for the Rhode Island Freedom Collective, and as a Legal Intern with Gotham Criminal Defense. This past summer, she served as a Campaign Fellow for Jessica González-Rojas for State Senate and as an Executive Intern with New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development. She hopes to attend law school and return to New York City to continue her criminal defense advocacy.