Zakiya Summers (born January 14, 1983) is an American politician and former journalist serving as a member of the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected fo ...

from the 68th district. She assumed office on January 7, 2020.

Early life and education

Summers was born on January 14, 1983, in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the

Missouri School of Journalism The Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in all areas of journalism and strategic comm ...

in 2005.

Career

Summers moved to Mississippi to work as a producer for WLBT TV. She later worked as a public relations manager for the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation. Since 2015, she has worked as the director of communications and advocacy at the

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

of Mississippi. Summers was elected to the

and assumed office on January 7, 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, Zakiya Living people 1983 births Politicians from Houston Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Missouri School of Journalism alumni University of Missouri alumni African-American state legislators in Mississippi 21st-century American legislators 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women politicians