Nikema Williams
DemocratU.S. Representative, GA-5| Age | 47 (b. 1978-07-30) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2021-01-03 (~5 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | African American |
| Religion | Methodist (member of Central United Methodist Church, Atlanta) |
| Education | Graduated from Talladega High School (Talladega, Alabama), 1996; B.A. in Biology from Talladega College, 2000 |
| Prior occupation | Vice president of public policy for Planned Parenthood Southeast; later Georgia State Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Columbus, Georgia |
| Marital status | Married — Leslie Small |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Notable relatives | Great-aunt Autherine Lucy, who in 1956 was the first Black student to attend the University of Alabama |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2017 |
| Previous offices | Georgia State Senate, District 39 (December 5, 2017 - January 3, 2021) · Chair, Democratic Party of Georgia (January 26, 2019 - March 31, 2025) · First Vice Chair, Democratic Party of Georgia (elected 2011; acting chair June-August 2013) |
| Committees | Committee on Financial Services · Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance · Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations |
| Caucuses | Congressional Progressive Caucus · New Democrat Coalition · Black Maternal Health Caucus · Congressional Equality Caucus · Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment |
| Leadership | Chair, Democratic Party of Georgia (2019-2025) |
| Ideology | Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; widely described as progressive |
| Signature legislation | COACH Act (Convening Operations Assistance for Childcare Heroes Act) - enacted as amendment to the FY2022 NDAA · Equal Pay for Equal Work Act - passed as amendment to the FY2022 NDAA, reestablishing the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
| State Farm Life Insurance policies | other · $250,001–$500,000 · 2023 |
| American Funds mutual fund | fund · $15,001–$50,000 · 2023 |
| JP Morgan mutual fund | fund · $1,001–$15,000 · 2023 |
| Peach State Reserves - Employees' Retirement System of Georgia | other · $1,001–$15,000 · 2023 |
| General Assembly of Georgia - Legislative Retirement System | other · $1,001–$15,000 · 2024 |
Scandals & crimes ledger
dismissed — 2018 arrest and charges at Georgia State Capitol protest (dismissed)
On November 13, 2018, then-Georgia State Senator Nikema Williams was arrested by Georgia Capitol Police along with about 14 others during a protest in the Capitol rotunda demanding that all votes be counted in the contested 2018 gubernatorial election. She was charged with obstruction and disrupting a session/meeting of the General Assembly, held at Fulton County Jail for roughly six hours, and released on bond. On June 6, 2019, Cobb County Solicitor General Barry Morgan dismissed the charges against Williams and the other protesters, stating his office balanced public safety against the right to free speech and protest. Williams later joined a federal civil lawsuit (Williams v. Powell) challenging the constitutionality of the statute used to arrest her; the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously upheld dismissal of that suit on October 31, 2024.