Nekima Levy Armstrong

Nekima Valdez Levy Armstrong (née Levy-Pounds, c. 1976) is an American lawyer and social justice activist. She was president of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP from 2015 to 2016. She has led a variety of organizations that focus on issues of racial equality and disparity in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.

Nekima Levy Armstrong
Levy Armstrong in 2015
Born	Nekima Levy-Pounds (1976-06-27) June 27, 1976 (age 47) Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Southern California (BA) University of Illinois (JD)
Occupation	Attorney
Children	5

Levy Armstrong was a professor of law at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis from 2003 to 2016. After concluding her term as an NAACP chapter president and leaving her academic post, she had an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Minneapolis in the 2017 election. She has been a prominent local activist in several protests over the killing of black Americans by police officers. She has been involved in lawsuits to prevent Minneapolis from eliminating single-family zoning, arguing that doing so would harm the environment and communities of color.^[1]

Early life and education

Levy Armstrong was born on June 27, 1976, in Jackson, Mississippi, the eldest sister of five.^[2][3] She moved to South Central Los Angeles after spending the first eight years of her life in Mississippi, and at fourteen years old was accepted to attend the Brooks School of North Andover, Massachusetts, as a boarding student.^[4][5][6] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law.^[7] Levy Armstrong lived in Los Angeles until 2003 when she moved to the U.S. state of Minnesota.^[8]

Career

Professorship and community projects

Levy Armstrong began as an associate law professor at the University of St. Thomas in 2003.^[6][8][9] She later attained tenure at the university and was granted full professorship in 2013.^[10][11] In 2006, Levy Armstrong founded the Community Justice Project, a partnership between the University of St. Thomas School of Law and the Saint Paul chapter of the NAACP, for law students interested in working with underserved communities.^[12]

In 2011, Levy Armstrong was the director of an African American history museum in South Minneapolis. The project garnered several large donations, loans from prominent community organizations like the Carl Pohlad Foundation, and the potential commitment of state bonding money. However, the project had financial difficulties that eventually led to its closure and the sale of its building at auction.^[13]

Levy Armstrong co-founded Brotherhood Inc., an organization dedicated to helping young African American men stay away from gang activity and prison.^[12] She chairs the Minnesota State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights and Everybody In, a nonprofit with the goal of closing race-based employment gaps in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.^[14][15]

Black Lives Matter movement

Levy Armstrong participated in the anti-police brutality protests in Ferguson, Missouri in mid 2014.^[16] She also took part in a Black Lives Matter protest of police brutality at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota in December 2014. She and ten other protesters were charged by the City of Bloomington with disorderly conduct and trespass which carried a maximum penalty of a fine up to $8,000 and a prison sentence of up to two years.^[8][16] Restitution charges for $40,000 against the protesters were later withdrawn by the city.^[8] In November 2015, a Hennepin County judge dismissed the charges against Levy Armstrong and the ten others charged by Bloomington.^[17]

Minneapolis NAACP presidency

 

Levy Armstrong marching in 2015, protesting the shooting of Tania Harris

In 2015, Levy Armstrong became president of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP when outgoing president Jerry McAfee decided against seeking re-election. Though she won the election unopposed on the ballot, Levy Armstrong faced criticism from McAfee who contended that she was too focused on issues of police brutality to the neglect of concerns such as other violent crime against African Americans.^[8] Levy Armstrong stated that she hoped to increase youth engagement with the NAACP during her term with the organization.^[8] She has been critical of racial disparities in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region, describing them as some of the nation's worst.^[15]

In November 2015, following the shooting death of Jamar Clark at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, Levy Armstrong was involved in a human blockade of Interstate 94. Of the approximately 40 protesters, Levy Armstrong was among the first arrested.^[18] She led some subsequent protests against Clark's killing.^[19]

Levy Armstrong left her professorship with University of St. Thomas in 2016 to devote herself full-time to addressing issues of economic and racial justice.^[20] She announced in October of that year that she did not intend to seek a second term as president of the Minneapolis NAACP, but that she "plan[s] to have an even more visible presence in the community".^[21] Her successor at the chapter, Jason Sole, credited Levy Armstrong for aligning the more policy- and paperwork-oriented organization with the Black Lives Matter movement.^[22]

Mayoral campaign

A year after the death of Jamar Clark, Levy Armstrong announced her intention to run for mayor of Minneapolis in the city's 2017 election as a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. The announcement was held outside Minneapolis's fourth precinct police station, where protesters had demonstrated against Clark's killing for 18 days the year before. Levy Armstrong faced incumbent mayor Betsy Hodges, also a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor, and several other candidates.^[23] Although running as a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor, Armstrong opted to forego the party nomination process, citing what she described as the "confusing and unwelcoming" nature of the party's caucuses and convention.^[24] She lost to Jacob Frey in the November 2017 election, coming in fifth overall.^[25]

Community activism

 

Levy Armstrong protesting against the murder of George Floyd in March 2021

In 2020, Levy Armstrong participated in local protests over the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man, by a white Minneapolis police officer. She was present when police officers fired tear gas on protesters without warning at the Minneapolis third police precinct station the afternoon of May 26 as a separate, smaller group of demonstrators were throwing objects at officers. The incident resulted in Levy Armstrong being a named party in a U.S. District Court complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota over the right to peaceful protest.^[26] Levy Armstong was critical of Minneapolis police union leader Bob Kroll, and participated in protests calling for his resignation. A 100-person protest group led by Levy Armstrong's Racial Justice Network that gathered outside Kroll's home in Hugo, Minnesota, on August 15, 2020, drew controversy. In addition to calling for Kroll's resignation, the group criticized Kroll's partner, WCCO television reporter Liz Collin, for having a conflict of interest in stories about police violence. Some protesters bashed piñata effigies of Kroll and Collin, which was condemned by local media members for being a symbolic display of violence against a woman journalist.^[27][28]

In 2023, Levy Armstrong was a member of the legal team that sued Minneapolis for its 2040 Plan which eliminated single-family zoning in Minneapolis in order to alleviate the housing shortage in Minneapolis and reduce sprawl.^[1] Levy Armstrong argued that eliminating single-family zoning would harm the environment and communities of color, saying "Residents of color already face significant barriers to home ownership, which would have been exacerbated under the plan as a result of reduced access to and availability of single family properties."^[1] After District County Judge Joseph Klein ruled in favor of the lawsuit, forcing Minneapolis to rescind its plan to eliminate single-family zoning, Levy Armstrong celebrated the decision as a "major victory."^[1]

Personal life

Levy Armstrong lived in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, until September 2015 when she moved to north Minneapolis.^[29] She is married and has five children, two of whom are adopted.^[30] In the mid-2010s, she preached at Minneapolis's First Covenant Church every other month.^[14][29]

References

1. "Minneapolis cannot proceed with 2040 Plan, court rules". Star Tribune. 2023.
2. Karnowski, Steve (November 23, 2015). . St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
3. Colbert, Harry Jr. (June 24, 2016). . Insight News. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
4. Yuan, Mina (January 2016). (PDF). ThreeSixty Journalism. Saint Paul, MN: University of St. Thomas. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017. Mina: To start off, I know you grew up in South Central Los Angeles. Could you tell me a little about what challenges you faced as a teenager trying to contribute to or create change? Nekima: Well, one of the things that impacted me most as a kid in South Central was the fact that one of my classmates was killed. So when I was 14, I got a scholarship to attend a boarding school in North Andover, Massachusetts, called the Brooks School. And I was there at this affluent boarding school, and then ... right before spring break, my mom called me, and she told me that one of my classmates by the name of Latasha Harlins was killed. She was shot in the back of the head by a store owner.
5. Du, Susan (April 27, 2015). . City Pages. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
6. Yuccas, Jamie (May 5, 2015). . WCCO-TV. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
7. . School of Law. University of St. Thomas (Minnesota). Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
8. Williams, Brandt (May 1, 2015). . MPR News. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
9. Levy-Pounds, Nekima (2013). "Going up in Smoke: The Impacts of the Drug War on Young Black Men". Albany Government Law Review. 6: 563–589. Retrieved June 12, 2015. – via Hein Online (subscription required)
10. Clayton, Chris (April 25, 2016). . Mpls. St. Paul. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
11. Huber, Susan (September 9, 2013). . University of St. Thomas. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
12. Dunlop, Sybil (February 20, 2015). . Minnesota Lawyer. Archived from the original on March 24, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
13. Golden, Erin (September 22, 2015). . Star Tribune. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
14. Regan, Sheila (June 5, 2014). . Twin Cities Daily Planet. Archived from the original on June 14, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
15. Norfleet, Nicole (May 4, 2015). "Black Lives Matter advocate elected to lead Minneapolis NAACP". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
16. Hallman, Charles (January 21, 2015). "Mall protester Levy-Pounds vows to fight charges". Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
17. Reinan, John; Olson, Rochelle (November 10, 2015). "Judge dismisses charges against Black Lives Matter organizers of MoA protest". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
18. Roberts, Ashley (November 17, 2015). . WCCO-TV. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
19. Lambert, Brian (February 2, 2016). "How the Black Lives Matter movement is changing local reporting". MinnPost. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
20. Sawyer, Liz (May 28, 2016). "NAACP head Nekima Levy-Pounds to leave St. Thomas law school". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
21. Furst, Randy (October 6, 2016). . Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
22. Tigue, Kristoffer (November 14, 2016). "'There are times you must agitate': a Q&A with new NAACP Minneapolis president Jason Sole". MinnPost. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
23. Callaghan, Peter (February 22, 2017). . MinnPost. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
24. Belz, Adam (April 4, 2017). . Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
25. "2017 Election Results". Star Tribune. Minneapolis Star Tribune. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
26. Jones, Hannah (July 17, 2020). . City Pages. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
27. Uren, Adam (August 18, 2020). "Protesters condemned after they destroy piñata of WCCO's Liz Collin". Bring Me the News. from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
28. Klecker, Mara (August 17, 2020). "GOP calls DFL candidate's comments at Hugo protest 'reprehensible'". Star Tribune. from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
29. Furst, Randy (November 14, 2016). . Star Tribune. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
30. Levy-Pounds, Nekima (2015). . Minnesota Women's Press. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2015.