Nia Weeks is a civic strategist, thought leader and campaign builder who uses storytelling and community cultivation to galvanize voters at scale. Her work is shaping the future of voter engagement and has been supported by Facebook, Color of Change, Kellogg Foundation, Ms. Foundation, Packard and several other high profile funders.
An attorney, professor and producer, Weeks is co-founder of Detangled, a strategic platform for effective mass engagement. Detangled is best known for the integrated campaign strategy it applied to nearly double voter turnout in Louisiana’s historic 2020 election, and to achieve the successful passage of the CROWN ACT across the state.
Weeks is a NOLA native whose philanthropic late mother instilled in her the urgent sense of passion with which she serves her communities, locally and globally. She is driven by the need to see Black families successfully shape their destinies, delivering equitable futures for all.
Weeks’ work has tremendously impacted families of color across the critical areas of child welfare, healthcare, economic parity and criminal justice reform. Citizen SHE United, which she founded, is Louisiana’s top advocate for Black women’s rights. Through SHE, Weeks has successfully aligned and activated masses of Black women voters across class and geography, cementing pipelines to power for the South’s most marginalized voters.
Sensitive to the intersectionality of Black women’s global challenges, Weeks also works in collaboration with the Ghanaian government to drive resources and educational opportunities for young girls in Ghana.
Weeks’ background includes service in the foster care system, with incarcerated women, as a public defender and much more. Having experienced homelessness as a single mother of four during law school, she has first hand experience of many of the challenges for which she fights for solutions on behalf of women of color everywhere.
In weaving a new tapestry of engaged Black women–Louisiana’s future advocates, operatives, decision makers, and power brokers–Weeks is effectively addressing intersectional community issues directly impacting voters’ daily lives.
The health, joy and rights of Black Women sit at the core of all Weeks’ work, making her a true visionary in the political arena. She is highly sought after by governments, political candidates, universities and foundations for her expertise at the intersection of creative civic education, legal strategy and mass mobilization.
A graduate of Loyola School of Law, Weeks currently teaches Women’s Studies, Women Law and Policy, and Global Feminist Perspectives at Xavier University. She also teaches on Race and Justice at Loyola, mentoring Law Students through the Gillis Law Program and providing advisement for the Pre-Law Program at Dillard University.
You can learn more about Nia Weeks’ story in her Black Genius interview below.