
Shamar Hemphill
Former Deputy Director at IMAN (Inner-City Muslim Action Network)
Affiliated Consultant, DAISA Enterprises
(he, him, his)
Shamar Hemphill was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago and brings rich experience in the areas of civic engagement, food ecosystems, and health equity. Shamar has spent his career developing integrative models that offer innovative strategies to social inequities, with an emphasis on those at the intersection of food, health, and art by leveraging local assets including farms, health centers, the local retail economy, arts, and community-based institutions.
Shamar has developed systems and campaigns to increase peer health outreach initiatives by using community organizing science as intervention models and to increase access to fresh food and quality healthcare for families across Chicago, which have served as inspiration for similar models across the country.
Over the course of his career, Shamar has developed and led community organizing & leadership development trainings across the country, training community stakeholders, universities, youth, and faith based institutions in Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Detroit, among other cities. He formerly served as Deputy Director at IMAN (Inner-City Muslim Action Network) and is an alum of Public Allies and completed his graduate studies with a degree in Theology, focusing on Inter-religious studies.
Shamar has been featured in various local and national publications for his work in grassroots-led community development. Shamar is currently pursuing his graduate degree in theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, while concurrently holding a teaching appointment within the school’s Catholic-Muslim Studies Department, where he teaches community organizing through an inter-religious lens.
Former Deputy Director at IMAN (Inner-City Muslim Action Network)
Affiliated Consultant, DAISA Enterprises
(he, him, his)
Shamar Hemphill was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago and brings rich experience in the areas of civic engagement, food ecosystems, and health equity. Shamar has spent his career developing integrative models that offer innovative strategies to social inequities, with an emphasis on those at the intersection of food, health, and art by leveraging local assets including farms, health centers, the local retail economy, arts, and community-based institutions.
Shamar has developed systems and campaigns to increase peer health outreach initiatives by using community organizing science as intervention models and to increase access to fresh food and quality healthcare for families across Chicago, which have served as inspiration for similar models across the country.
Over the course of his career, Shamar has developed and led community organizing & leadership development trainings across the country, training community stakeholders, universities, youth, and faith based institutions in Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Detroit, among other cities. He formerly served as Deputy Director at IMAN (Inner-City Muslim Action Network) and is an alum of Public Allies and completed his graduate studies with a degree in Theology, focusing on Inter-religious studies.
Shamar has been featured in various local and national publications for his work in grassroots-led community development. Shamar is currently pursuing his graduate degree in theology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, while concurrently holding a teaching appointment within the school’s Catholic-Muslim Studies Department, where he teaches community organizing through an inter-religious lens.