Congresswoman Nikema Williams has been a fierce advocate for social justice, women and families throughout her political and professional career.
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.
She always centers the voices of those who are most marginalized. She brings this concern to Congress having seen firsthand how women and people of color continue to fight for racial and social justice in our country.
We must build an America that lives up to its ideals of justice and equality for all. That means fully reckoning with our country’s history, which has been marked with systems of oppression since slavery. In addition to its social impacts, these systems prevented generations of people who look like me from building wealth and a better future for the coming generations. Still today, Atlanta has the widest racial wealth gap in the country, and the average white household has nearly eight times the wealth of the average Black household. It’s time to think even bigger about justice to create a more equitable and prosperous future for all.
In Congress, I am committed to policies that eliminate racial bias in policing and the justice system, close the racial wealth gap, produce thoughtful reparations, and create opportunity for the most marginalized communities. From securing $1 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to reconnect communities of color divided by interstate highways to leading the Abolition Amendment to end the slavery exception in the 13th Amendment, I approach every policy in Congress with a focus on racial equity
All of us should have equitable access to high-quality education, no matter our ZIP code or bank account. For me, this is a value that is deeply ingrained. My Great Aunt Autherine Lucy paved the way for accessible education in this country as the first Black woman to attend the University of Alabama. I have also seen firsthand, as a former public school teacher, how integral education is to opening doors to opportunity. In Washington, I will always fight for the resources that our students and teachers need to succeed.
Higher Education & Student Debt Relief
44.7 million Americans and counting remain burdened by student loan debt well after graduation–including me. Student debt creates a barrier to purchasing a home, starting a family, and creating the very life promised on the other side of a college education.
As I advocate for student debt cancellation for federal borrowers, I’m also fighting for policies to bring immediate relief to especially debt-burdened borrowers. This includes leading the Student Loan Credit Score Rehabilitation Act, which would ensure all negative credit reporting related to a previously defaulted student loan is removed from a borrower’s credit history once the borrower has completed student loan rehabilitation.
I know from personal experience that our ability to access health care can change, and often save, our lives. I have been uninsured and chosen to not receive medical care after a dangerous car accident because the visit to the emergency department 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.
Every American must have the right to visit a doctor when they need medical care, regardless of the size of their bank account. In Congress, I co-sponsored Medicare for All legislation and I am committed to the promise of universal, quality health care coverage. I will continue fighting to ensure people can access medical services from prenatal to mental health care. We must make sure health care is a right, not a privilege, for all the people.
Georgia’s Fifth District is a transportation hub – home to our nation’s busiest airport, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and our country’s eighth-largest rapid transit system, MARTA. Building on our district’s transportation assets, I am committed to advancing policy that maximizes transportation equity and minimizes environmental impact. As a member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, I will always fight for investments that better connect all people to opportunity.
I will always fight to expand the right to vote across our country and build on the legacy of my predecessor and mentor, civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis. Georgians know their vote is their voice, but Georgians – especially in communities of color – are also no strangers to voter suppression tactics.
As a co-chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, I am committed to amplifying the voice of the people, breaking down barriers to voting, and ensuring the integrity of our elections. I am an original co-sponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and authored the Voters on the Move Registration Act of 2021.
To build an economy that truly works for all – one that addresses income inequality, economic immobility, and the racial wealth gap – we must have strong labor protections. I first joined the United Food and Commercial Workers Union in high school while I was working at Food Lion, and in Congress, I will always partner with my friends in labor to promote and protect workers’ rights. As a member of the Congressional Labor Caucus, I am committed to fighting for high-paying jobs, safe working conditions, workers’ rights to organize, and ensuring that all people realize the benefits of an inclusive economy.
There are 182,220 people employed by 17,273 small businesses with employees in Georgia’s Fifth District, which is 92% of district employers. In Washington, I will fight to support these small businesses and the jobs they create, while also ensuring that more entrepreneurs from marginalized groups are able to achieve their dream of opening a business. The success of our economy depends on everyone having the opportunity to share in the promise of America. As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I will continue to work with my colleagues on policies that provide for strong, inclusive economic growth.
The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted alot of pain on our community; pain felt most deeply by those who lost loved ones, essential workers, who are overwhelmingly low-income workers of color, and small businesses.
The most important step we can take to move forward beyond the pandemic is to get vaccinated and boosted. The vaccines are safe, tested, and extremely effective. Please go to the Georgia Department of Public Health’s website to find the most convenient location for you to get vaccinated or boosted.
I was proud to secure billions in COVID-related aid to Georgia in the American Rescue Plan, including $2 billion to expand Medicaid, $1.5 billion in childcare funding, and $1 billion for Head Start to ensure families can continue to access quality early-learning opportunities.
The American Rescue Plan, which I helped pass, also included $245,712,324 to 565 small businesses in the Fifth District. The Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) and Shuttered Venues Operators Grant (SVOG) funding was an invaluable lifeline to the small businesses that make the Fighting Fifth such a rich and vibrant community. In April 2022, I voted to replenish the RRF with an additional $42 billion dollars and $13 billion for a new Hard Hit Industries Award.
The pandemic exposed how badly the people and small businesses in our community and communities around the country needed to be supported, and I will always support efforts to invest in and uplift those who need it most, when they need it most.
Our veterans make a profound commitment to our country, prepared to lay down their lives in service. When our veterans return home, they should not face barriers to reentering civilian life. In Congress, I will work for a future where no veteran has to sleep on the street and no veteran struggles to receive the medical care and benefits they deserve.
I introduced the Return Home to Housing Act to increase the supply of housing to unhoused veterans in need. Unfortunately, the Fifth Congressional District has some of the worst examples of housing injustice, but I won’t stop working to increase access to dignified housing for everyone, especially those who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country.