Tiya Raja

Organizer

Queens Fair Trade

Tiya Raja spearheads Queens Fair Trade, a Fair Trade Town campaign in Queens, New York, and is a member of the New York City Fair Trade Coalition. She began the Queens Fair Trade campaign because she believes in the impact of Fair Trade and what it means for communities across the globe. When Tiya moved to Queens in 2015, she quickly learned that it is not only the largest of the five boroughs in New York City, it is also the most diverse. However, even with its great size, many people in Queens are not familiar with Fair Trade, which is what inspired Tiya to start a campaign. Queens Fair Trade is focused on creating an inclusive movement of conscious consumers and advocates through education, advocacy, and outreach. Through Queens Fair Trade, Tiya hopes to raise awareness about the movement across communities of color within the borough. Prior to beginning her campaign in Queens, Tiya was on the Fair Trade Committee at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York. During her time on the committee she was able to help Manhattan College become the first Fair Trade College in New York City and fifth in the country in February 2012. While in college, Tiya also served as the Fair Trade Intern for Campus Ministry & Social Action, and as a Catholic Relief Services Campus Ambassador, focusing on food security and Fair Trade. Tiya graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Manhattan College.