Nia Weeks is a native of New Orleans, and has spent years fighting for the rights of women, children, and families. Graduating with a law degree from the Loyola School of Law, her post Law School career has been immersed in work that focuses on addressing a variety of systemic issues that marginalized community members have asked to be examined. She is currently the founder and Director of Citizen SHE United, which mobilizes Black Women around the state to actively participate in changing the system so that it begins to work for them and their children. Her work focuses on the intersectional issues of economically and socially disadvantaged black women in Louisiana so that they may be fully informed about their options and be given a full breadth of understanding of the totality of the life impact on any decision they make. 

She is also the Co-founder of Detangled, a collaboration with filmmaker and director Damien D. Smith, born out of the collective work of three organizations and companies. Citizen SHE (fiscally sponsored 501(c)3 and Citizen SHE United 501(c)4 and 4910 Rosalie Productions, a multi-platform production company that focuses on Film, Television, & Social Activism. 4910 Rosalie’s mission is to tell stories that represent the complexities of the world around us and give a voice to the voiceless. Detangled believes that through a multi-integrated platform we can connect and engage with each other by telling and listening to stories that connect us to real life with

inventive targeted strategies. We are moving into an era where our organizing strategy must have a strong digital platform. Most people utilize some form of social media as their primary news source. They look for images, topics, and content to reflect who they are and what matters to them. Detangled curates an approach that includes lists of programs and events centered around connecting real life with inventive organizing strategies. This approach translates engagement in a manner that fosters a relationship that is a natural progression of sustainability.For two years, these organizations partnered to develop a dynamic new ideology pertaining to civic engagement and participation in Louisiana. 

Nia brings over 20 years of grassroots activism that includes; political strategy rooted in systemic change and drafting legislation focused on intersersectional community issues. As Founder of Citizen SHE United Nia has a vision to be part of the answer to righting the wrongs of systemic oppression in Louisiana. SHE is an advocacy group in Louisiana that is building an aligned base of Black Women who inform, advocate for and enact a collective policy agenda to address the needs of Black Women across the state. This decentralized base is well-coordinated and supported by an interactive social media presence. Building power for Black women in Louisiana through a comprehensive strategy that builds the skills, capacity, and profiles of Black women who can advance a proactive policy agenda and represent a vibrant and activated statewide base that informs, supports, and advances Black Women’s vision for Louisiana. 

Nia ‘s focus primarily rests on creating a place where the intersection of our communal and familial commitments can coexist with the interpersonal issues that Black women face. From formerly incarcerated women to members of The Links, Nia’s work is focused on building a base of Black women that crosses class, color, and geography. Her desire is to have Black women be active in civic engagement at every level in their city and state and nationally. This will create pathways to power for people who not only know of issues Black women face but those who will relentlessly advocate to eliminate these issues. SHE’s work is focused on elevating the experiences and creating leadership opportunities for some of the most marginalized Black Women in our community. By uplifting the voices of Black Women and Girls locally, regionally and nationally, we are able to directly influence how policies impact our lives and our access to human rights. 

Nia is also a professor at Xavier University where she teaches Women’s Studies, Women Law and Policy and Global Feminist Perspectives and she teaches skills courses on Race and Justice at Loyola Law School. She also mentors Law Students through Loyola’s Gillis Law Program each semester and is an advisor for Dillard University’s Pre-Law Program.

TOPICS: Women and Girls of Color, Activism, Race