Nikema Williams

Member of Congress

News for Veterans

Veterans have sacrificed so much for our country and we must repay them.

If you are a veteran, ensure you are receiving all your benefits through an Accredited Veteran Service Office. More information is available at:

https://www.benefits.va.gov/vso/.

Getting the Care You Need: Reproductive Freedom

An extremist Supreme Court stripped people of their right to healthcare when they overturned Roe v. Wade. Reproductive healthcare–including abortion–is essential. For more information on your rights and resources, visit ReproductiveRights.gov. August 25th was Reproductive Freedom Day of Action. I hosted a virtual town hall with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, the Georgia Family Planning System, the Center for Maternal Equity at Morehouse School of Medicine and the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. You can watch the replay here.

Getting the Care You Need: Medicaid

Medicaid recipients pay attention: there is a process called “redetermination” happening over the course of the next year. That means you need to make sure your information is up to date in the Gateway portal at gateway.ga.gov. And, check your mailbox! If you receive a redetermination letter you have 30 days from the day the letter was sent to take action. I hosted a Tele Town Hall with HHS Region IV Director Antrell Tyson to give you all the information you need to not lose coverage. Listen to it here.

Be Weather Ready: Hurricane Season

Hurricane season officially started on June 1. Don’t get caught unprepared. Follow the National Hurricane Center on Twitter (@NHC_Atlantic) or visit hurricanes.gov for the latest information and tips on how to prepare for a hurricane.

Care Makes ALL Work Possible: Reintroducing the CEDS Act

COVID-era child care funding expired at the end of September, jeopardizing 10 million child care slots across the country. When childcare is not accessible, workforce participation dwindles and economic mobility declines, especially for women. It doesn’t have to be this way. Families need a strong care economy because access to care makes every aspect of our lives possible. I lived this, quitting my job as a Fulton County educator to care for my mama as she battled Stage IV Colon Cancer.

It is time to acknowledge that care is an economic development strategy, which is why, this month, I reintroduced the CEDS Act. With the CEDS Act, families can count on their communities to plan for access to care for everyone–no matter their ZIP Code, no matter their bank account.

Read the Bill Here

Advancing Health Equity

As someone who grew up in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, I understand the vital role churches play in Black communities. During the pandemic, I worked with churches in the Fifth District to get shots in arms–a lifesaving ministry. To invest in these trusted pillars of the Black community, I introduced the Health Equity Innovation Act (HEIA) with Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke (NY-09).

The Health Equity Innovation Act would create a new grant program, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health to expand access to culturally and linguistically appropriate care, encourage innovation, and address persistent health disparities and chronic disease challenges. The grant program is worth $50 million in fiscal year 2024 and increases by $5 million each year through fiscal year 2028.

Specifically, the Health Equity Innovation Act would fund faith- and community-based organizations to pay the costs of necessary medical services, support health care professionals, peer support specialists, community health representatives, and other professionals who support access to care, and otherwise expand access to care and carry out programs that address social determinants of health. Funds could also be used to build capacity at these organizations to improve their ability to carry out these functions.

This strategic investment in Black faith-based organizations would allow them to use their generations of connection and hard-earned expertise to tackle healthcare disparities for marginalized communities.”

Read the Bill Here

Keeping Guns Out of the Wrong Hands

Along with my fellow members of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I co-led the Disarm Hate Act, which aims to further protect our communities from gun violence.

The Disarm Hate Act would address the dangerous gap in current federal law by providing that individuals who have been convicted of a misdemeanor-level hate crime, or received an enhanced sentence for a misdemeanor crime after a judicial finding that they acted with hate or bias motivation, are prohibited from buying or possessing guns.

Just over two years ago, Atlanta witnessed the Atlanta Spa Shootings, a horrific act of anti-Asian hate. Our communities are still healing from the trauma. No matter your race, ethnicity, or gender, everyone has the right to live without fear of violence in their workplace or public spaces. We’ve mourned tragedy after tragedy from gun violence, it is past time to keep guns out of the hands of people convicted of hate crimes.

Read About the Bill Here

Spoke at the 50th Anniversary Hip Hop Press Conference and proudly represented the Fighting Fifth with my Outkast Hat

52nd Annual CBCF Annual Legislative Conference

September marked the 52nd annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference. ALC is the leading policy conference aimed at tackling the most pressing issues facing Black communities here and across the globe. What a week!

“Securing our Democracy, Protecting our Freedoms, Uplifting Our Culture'' was the theme for this year’s Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference. From discussions on closing the racial wealth gap to caregiving and health equity, The South had Somethin’ to Say!

#ALC52 was an enlightening week of panels, celebrations and most importantly connecting with elected officials and constituents from the Fighting Fifth who made the trip.

Annual Day of Healing

Following a wonderful Day of Healing message with my pastor, Rev. Dr. Vance Ross of Central United Methodist Church and my husband, Leslie!

Annual Day of Healing breakfast with Rev. Dr. Herman “Skip” Mason Jr. of West Mitchell Street Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

C.R.E.A.M: Catalyzing Racial Equity and Money

Finding innovative ways to close the racial wealth gap is one of my biggest priorities in Congress. Our ability to build wealth affects every aspect of our lives and unfortunately our ability to build wealth in this country is not equal. The racial wealth gap is persistent and is only getting wider.

My ALC panel this year was all about alternative finance tools as a means to build wealth. We heard from Reggie Love, Senior Advisor to the Apollo Group and the Alt Finance Program, Valerie White from LISC New York, Denzel Singletary from Robinhood, Bonin Bough from GroupBlack and Ryan Wilson, Founder & CEO of The Gathering Spot. President and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, Ron Busby Sr. moderated the discussion.

A Call to Action: Fighting Colorectal Cancer in the Black Community

More progress to end cancer means more birthdays, celebrations and everyday moments for families. Y’all I lost my mama way too soon to Stage IV colon cancer and through this painful experience I learned a hard truth: we have two health care systems in this country, one for people who can afford preventative services and quality treatment, and one for everyone else.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer with proper screenings. I’m working in Congress to find policy solutions to increase equity in health care and health outcomes.

During ALC, I closed out ‘A Call to Action: Fighting Colorectal Cancer in the Black Community’ hosted by Fight Colorectal Cancer. I joined survivors, physicians, and my colleague Congressman Donald Payne, Jr., who lost his father to colorectal cancer.

Early detection saves lives! Be sure to talk with your physician about the screenings you need and any family history of colorectal cancer. And if you have a screening that was postponed during the pandemic, be sure to get it back on the books!

Love, Light and Laughter:

Real Conversations About Caregiving in the Black Community

Access to care has generational impacts. Constituents have told me that without child care, they wouldn’t be able to get to work and put food on the table. I’m also a working mama and I know first hand that without a care plan for my Carter Cakes, everything stops! I’ve been fighting for caregivers for a long time and I won’t quit until we create the care economy we all deserve.

I stopped by to kick off ‘Love, Light, and Laughter: Real Conversations About Caregiving in the Black Community hosted by AARP, the National Coalition for Black Civic Participation and the Black Women’s Roundtable. Care work makes EVERY OTHER WORK possible so I was delighted to join this important conversation.

Workforce Wellness and Equity with Delta Airlines

I joined our hometown airline for an engaging discussion on workforce wellness – I’m proud to see Delta leading the way with programs that explore the interconnectedness between financial security and wellness. Recent reports show that more than half of all Americans lack the funds to cover a $1,000 emergency. For marginalized communities especially, this perpetuates the cycle of debt and makes it tough to get ahead.

During the Delta Airlines panel, we discussed innovative programs like their employee emergency savings program, and how this model can be replicated across the workforce!

Receiving the Leaders of Democracy Award

I was truly humbled to receive the Leaders of Democracy Award from The Memorial Foundation, the foundation dedicated to the support and upkeep of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. All of our freedoms come from free and fair access to the ballot box, and I will always fight to protect (and expand!) our sacred right to vote.

Welcoming the Fighting Fifth to D.C.

The best part of ALC week is catching up with constituents who are in town for the action! Just a sample below.

With Kim Greene, Chairman, President and CEO of Georgia Power, during Georgia Power’s celebration of Morehouse School of Medicine President Valerie Montgomery Rice.

Catching up with T.I. before his participation on the Young, Gifted, and Black panel

CBC Week brings everyone together! With Singer & Songwriter Cee-Lo Green

Catching up with sorority sisters during the AFLAC Lifetime Achievement Awards. Carolyn Gause Randolph, Alpha Kappa Alpha International Secretary (left) and Bianca Blades (right)

Jimmy Carter 99th

My Carter Cakes and his classmates at Deerwood Academy weren’t in school for President Carter’s 99th birthday but that didn’t stop them from celebrating two days early! They recorded a special message for America’s longest-living President!

Watch the Video Here

Welcoming Vice President Harris

Kamala Harris is our Vice President AND the first HBCU grad to hold that office. Vice President Harris visited Morehouse College as part of her Fight for our Freedoms Tour. It was an honor to greet her on the tarmac of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport before she continued her work to advance civil rights.