The Advocate: Nekima Levy Armstrong

Nekima Levy Armstrong is a civil rights attorney and executive director of the Wayfinder Foundation who is well-known in the Twin Cities for her relentless advocacy for victims of police violence. 

Many know Levy Armstrong as a former law professor, former president of the Minneapolis NAACP, and former Minneapolis mayoral candidate, among many other milestones in her storied career. 

Her advocacy encompasses a multitude of areas of Black life. She unapologetically incorporates her faith, her family, the community, and a deep-rooted desire for justice into everything she does. 

“My family means everything to me,” she said. “They are a source of comfort and encouragement.” This can be seen in her new book, “J is for Justice,” which encourages young children to stand up for what they believe in and use their voices to better society. 

At age 46, she took a roundabout journey before landing in Minneapolis. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, she grew up in Los Angeles, attended boarding school in Andover, MA, went to college at the University of Southern California, and got her law degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“One of the things that motivates me is that I do the work alongside those who came before me, who fought against injustices and worked to make things better for our people. I feel that I have a responsibility to clear the pathway for others and to stand up for what’s right,” she said. 

“I think that my work has shown the community the power of using your voice and fighting against injustice. I have been able to collaborate with community members to get unjust laws and policies changed, and to push for leadership changes for those who are not adequately serving our community.”

 One of the challenges of her role as an advocate is knowing that you can’t please everybody. “I’ve felt like no matter what you do, how hard you work, how hard you try, you know, there will always be someone who has a problem with that,” she said. “And so I think it’s coming to that realization, and then making the decision to lead in the best way that you know how to overcome those kinds of obstacles.

“I also think that women leaders, particularly Black women leaders, are held to an unfair standard in terms of what people expect from them. Sometimes, our humanity gets lost in the shuffle. People treat you like you’re Superwoman. And you’re really one woman that’s trying to make a difference.”

For all the years that she’s been a civil rights advocate, there was a turning point in her career, she said. “The pivotal moment came after a conversation I had with Nathaniel Khaliq, the former president of the St. Paul NAACP. It was in the mid-2000s—2005 or 2006,” she recalls. “Nathaniel Khaliq was one of my mentors who took me under his wing—he and his wife Vicki Davis—and showed me the ropes regarding civil rights issues in the [Twin Cities], and also how to navigate dealing with elected officials and being responsive to the community.

“He talked to me about the issues impacting the Black community. And I knew at that moment that I needed to start a civil rights legal clinic, and that’s exactly what I did. I launched the Community Justice Project, which was the first of its kind in the nation. 

“Thinking about the power of storytelling, and hearing from a Black elder freedom fighter in a community, resulted in a life-changing choice for me and my career and the path that I’ve ultimately taken in my life.

“Now, I’m looking out for the next generation. Even people in my own peer group might need support. But I feel that it’s my responsibility to make a way for the next generation and to pour into whomever I can who may need help.”