Ballotpedia, Nikema Williams

Nikema is a graduate of Talladega College, a Historically Black College in Talladega, Alabama. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and their son,. She was born in Columbus, GA, and raised by her grandparents in Smiths Station, Alabama. 

Nikema currently serves as House Representative for Georgia's Fifth Congressional District. Before her election, she was the State Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She worked at Planned Parenthood for a decade, holding multiple positions including Vice President of Public Policy. Nikema was also a public school teacher.

Nikema Williams served as a State Senator for Georgia's 39th District from 2018 to 2020. In 2021, she was elected as a House Representative for Georgia's Fifth Congressional District and served as the Freshman Class President for the 117th Congress. She was previously chosen as one of 15 superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Georgia.

Candidate website

Said, "Georgia AFL-CIO: We’re proud to announce our endorsement of Nikema Williams for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District... We know she will carry the legacy of bringing power to Georgia’s workers..."

Plans to champion federal investment in childcare, paid leave, and long-term care infrastructure, ensuring accessibility for those in need and economic security for unpaid caretakers who face job loss or financial hardship due to family responsibilities.

- Plans to champion federal investment in childcare, paid leave, and long-term care infrastructure, ensuring accessibility for those in need and economic security for unpaid caretakers who face job loss or financial hardship due to family responsibilities.

Economy

Said, "I fully support the Green New Deal, because ... environmental justice and the climate crisis are hand-in-hand. ... We must not wait any longer because people’s lives are at stake."

Said, "I support the aggressive target of transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2050, and the bold proposals of affordable public transit, good-paying environmentally friendly jobs, while providing for futures to come."

Said, "I support the aggressive target of transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2050, and the bold proposals of affordable public transit, good-paying environmentally friendly jobs while providing for futures to come."

Said, "If we do not take bold action now to halt the harmful effects of the climate crisis, we are facing irreversible and life threatening changes - especially for those in Black and Brown communities."

- Supports the Green New Deal.
- Said, "I support the aggressive target of transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2050, and the bold proposals of affordable public transit, good-paying environmentally friendly jobs while providing for futures to come."
- Said, "If we do not take bold action now to halt the harmful effects of the climate crisis, we are facing irreversible and life threatening changes - especially for those in Black and Brown communities."

Energy & the Environment

The candidate's website says, "From early childhood, through adulthood, to elder care - our country must do better in providing access to health care. We must ensure that every family has the tools and resources to not just live, but to thrive."

The candidate's website says, "Every American must have the right to visit a doctor when they are sick... being diagnosed with a disease should not make you bankrupt... It is an abomination that our health care system fails so many."

Said, "I know the failures of our health care system because I have lived them... I have chosen to not receive medical care after a dangerous car accident because the visit to the Emergency Room would have been too expensive... I struggled to pay for my mom’s treatment as she battled stage four cancer in the final years of her life."

Said, "We must ensure every single American has access to care at all stages of life."

Said, "It is a failure of our country that millions of Americans are dying due to lack of access to health care... I am proud to support Medicare for All to ensure that every single American... is able to receive the care they deserve because I believe that health care is a fundamental human right."

- Supports Medicare for All.
- Supports abortion access.

Healthcare

Believes in the paramount importance of voting rights; was arrested advocating for every vote's count after the 2018 gubernatorial election issues, embodying "Good Trouble" principles.

The candidate's website says, "As a Member of Congress, Congresswoman Williams continues to uplift the legacy of her mentor and predecessor, Congressman John Lewis, by fighting to prevent voter suppression and expand free and fair access to the ballot box."

The candidate's website says, "Georgia is unfortunately known for rampant voter suppression which disproportionately impacts Black and Brown people at alarming rates."

Supports continued efforts for voting rights, emphasizing that the mission isn't complete until all Americans can vote and have it counted, influenced by a family legacy of civil rights advocacy and prioritizing universal ballot access in Congress.

Supports expanding voter access in Georgia, opposes voter suppression, and was arrested for protesting against it. Plans to continue advocating for voting rights as District 5 Representative.

The candidate's website says, "Progressive Turnout Project is reaching out to millions of voters this summer and fall to make sure that these leaders can get to Washington..."

Said, "Our endorsed candidates are the frontline leaders who are going to flip the Senate, keep and expand our House majority, and stand with Joe Biden when he’s elected president... They are going to fight for every American’s right to vote."

The candidate's website says, "In addition to voting rights, Nikema has shown a deep understanding of how reproductive rights, healthcare rights, and income inequality have affected marginalized and immigrant communities, making her a great candidate for this seat."

The candidate's website says, "We trust that her advocacy will aid in the fight for fair representation and elections in the state of Georgia... the Asian American Advocacy Fund is proud to endorse Senator Nikema Williams for Congressional District 5!”"

Supports expanding ballot access, demands Senate pass John Lewis Voting Rights Act, proposes automatic and same-day registration, restoring felon voting rights, standardizing mail voting, and implementing ranked choice voting.

Supports expanding ballot access through measures such as demanding the Senate to pass John Lewis Voting Rights Act, proposing automatic and same-day registration, restoring felon voting rights, standardizing mail voting, and implementing ranked choice voting.

- Supports expanding ballot access through measures such as demanding the Senate to pass John Lewis Voting Rights Act, proposing automatic and same-day registration, restoring felon voting rights, standardizing mail voting, and implementing ranked choice voting.

Voting & Elections

Supports transforming the justice system to prioritize rehabilitation over punishment, legalizing recreational marijuana, ending qualified immunity, and increasing funds for rehabilitation and diversion initiatives.

Supports transforming the justice system to prioritize rehabilitation over punishment and increasing funds for rehabilitation and diversion initiatives.

Supports the Breathe Act, which diverts federal funding from incarceration and policing towards community-based public safety measures.

Said, "In Congress, I will advocate for ending the use of cash bail, and the measures in the Breathe Act - for a more just and fair system of policing."

The candidate's website says, "Nikema Williams is ready to enact gun safety legislation to protect her district’s families and communities from senseless gun violence... We’re proud to endorse her to represent the people of Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District."

Supports legalizing recreational marijuana.

- Supports transforming the justice system to prioritize rehabilitation over punishment and increasing funds for rehabilitation and diversion initiatives.
- Supports the Breathe Act, which diverts federal funding from incarceration and policing towards community-based public safety measures.
- Supports ending the use of cash bail.
- Supports gun control.
- Supports legalizing recreational marijuana.
- Supports ending qualified immunity.

Public Safety

Advocates for reducing or eradicating student debt to prevent penalizing students for pursuing education.

Said, "We must not allow our education system to fail our students or our teachers. Students shouldn’t suffer based on their zip code, and we must fight the inequities that exist in our education systems."

Said, "Students shouldn’t suffer based on their zip code, and we must fight the inequities that exist in our education systems."

Plans to address student challenges from teaching experience, reverse Trump-era education policies, and advocate for reducing or eradicating student debt to prevent penalizing students for pursuing education.

Wants to reverse Trump-era education policies.

- Advocates for reducing or eradicating student debt to prevent penalizing students for pursuing education.
- Said, "Students shouldn’t suffer based on their zip code, and we must fight the inequities that exist in our education systems."
- Wants to reverse Trump-era education policies.

Education

As of July 25, 2024, Nikema Williams’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Foreign Policy and Immigration

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Nikema Williams

- Your US Representative represents the interests of your district in the US House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Georgia currently has 14 US Representatives.
- US Representatives can author, sponsor, debate, and vote on bills that become national law.
- Representatives may serve on congressional committees. Committees focus on certain policy areas, such as transportation, education, or labor. They may also run for higher positions within their party, such as the Speaker of the House or Majority/Minority Leader.
- Representatives are elected to two-year terms. To hold this office, a candidate must be a legal resident of Georgia and a US citizen for at least seven years before their election. US Representatives are paid a salary of $174,000/year.