Nikia Grayson's guest appearances

Nikia Grayson

The Abortion Diary

Wundhers of Motherhood 

Katherine R

Linda Villarosa

Ann Arbor

Christina F.

Liz B.

Epi W.

Jacqui M.

Kacey C.

Melissa VW

Briana M.

Josephine W.

Mayah F.

Elizabeth C.

Jean R.

Judith Arcana

OwlTail

Dr. Nikia Grayson, DNP, MSN, MPH, MA, CNM, FNP-C (she/her/hers) is a Reproductive Justice informed public health activist, anthropologist and family nurse-midwife who has devoted her life to serving and empowering people in underserved communities.   Nikia graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communications and public health respectively, from University of Memphis with a master’s in medical anthropology and from the University of Tennessee with a master’s in nursing and a doctorate in nurse practice. She completed her post-master’s certificate in midwifery at Frontier Nursing University.  Nikia is the Director of Midwifery Services at CHOICES Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, where they have opened the first non-profit comprehensive reproductive health care center in the country and the first birth center in the city. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for SisterReach, the only Reproductive Justice organization in Tennessee. She resides in Memphis, TN, with her husband DeSean, daughter Brielle, son Gabriel, niece Lyric and nephews Kai and Amir.

Dr. Nikia Grayson, DNP, MSN, MPH, MA, CNM, FNP-C (she/her/hers) is a Reproductive Justice informed public health activist, anthropologist and family nurse-midwife who has devoted her life to serving and empowering people in underserved communities. Nikia graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communications and public health respectively, from University of Memphis with a master’s in medical anthropology and from the University of Tennessee with a master’s in nursing and a doctorate in nurse practice. She completed her post-master’s certificate in midwifery at Frontier Nursing University. Nikia is the Director of Midwifery Services at CHOICES Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, where they have opened the first non-profit comprehensive reproductive health care center in the country and the first birth center in the city. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for SisterReach, the only Reproductive Justice organization in Tennessee. She resides in Memphis, TN, with her husband DeSean, daughter Brielle, son Gabriel, niece Lyric and nephews Kai and Amir.

#MOMversations on Race Maternal Health with Nikia Grayson

Adriane Johnson-Williams is a native Memphian, who got her start in Memphis City Schools, she is dedicated to improving the lives of black and brown people in her hometown and across the nation. Dr. Adriane Johnson-Williams is Founder and Principal at Standpoint Consulting. Just prior she was Special Assistant for Strategy and Planning at LeMoyne-Owen College. She was also a Program Officer at the Pyramid Peak Foundation for two years. Dr. Johnson-Williams was a founding staff member and ultimately became Director of Collaborative Action with Seeding Success, the Shelby County, TN collective impact effort focused on improving cradle to career outcomes. Over the course of those two positions, she took advantage of professional development opportunities with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to sharpen her skills in results-based leadership. She is now an advanced practitioner.  Dr. Johnson-Williams was an assistant professor in the College of Human Resources and Education at West Virginia University. She began her career as researcher for the Council of the Great City Schools, an advocacy group for urban school districts, located in Washington, D.C. Dr. Johnson-Williams received a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Johnson-Williams received her Master of Education in Secondary Education from The George Washington University and her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and French from Wellesley College. Dr. Johnson-Williams is currently board chair for ACE Awareness, an organization whose mission is to educate Greater Memphis about adverse childhood experiences, support families in creating safe and supportive environments for children and change policies and practices to prevent and mitigate ACEs. She also board chair and co-founder of Whole Child Strategies, Inc. an organization seeking to center the lived experiences of people in communities in seeking solutions to the challenges facing families and children and limiting the educational opportunities of children and youth. She as named 2020 Woman of the Year by Girls Inc. of Memphis and received the Evelyn S. Field Award from SisterReach for demonstrating Reproductive Justice at the Intersections.

Adriane Johnson-Williams is a native Memphian, who got her start in Memphis City Schools, she is dedicated to improving the lives of black and brown people in her hometown and across the nation. Dr. Adriane Johnson-Williams is Founder and Principal at Standpoint Consulting. Just prior she was Special Assistant for Strategy and Planning at LeMoyne-Owen College. She was also a Program Officer at the Pyramid Peak Foundation for two years. Dr. Johnson-Williams was a founding staff member and ultimately became Director of Collaborative Action with Seeding Success, the Shelby County, TN collective impact effort focused on improving cradle to career outcomes. Over the course of those two positions, she took advantage of professional development opportunities with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to sharpen her skills in results-based leadership. She is now an advanced practitioner.  Dr. Johnson-Williams was an assistant professor in the College of Human Resources and Education at West Virginia University. She began her career as researcher for the Council of the Great City Schools, an advocacy group for urban school districts, located in Washington, D.C. Dr. Johnson-Williams received a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Johnson-Williams received her Master of Education in Secondary Education from The George Washington University and her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and French from Wellesley College. Dr. Johnson-Williams is currently board chair for ACE Awareness, an organization whose mission is to educate Greater Memphis about adverse childhood experiences, support families in creating safe and supportive environments for children and change policies and practices to prevent and mitigate ACEs. She also board chair and co-founder of Whole Child Strategies, Inc. an organization seeking to center the lived experiences of people in communities in seeking solutions to the challenges facing families and children and limiting the educational opportunities of children and youth. She as named 2020 Woman of the Year by Girls Inc. of Memphis and received the Evelyn S. Field Award from SisterReach for demonstrating Reproductive Justice at the Intersections.

#MOMversations on The Power Struggle & the Matriarchy with Nikia Grayson

“I want to fill that gap in our community.” In this episode, Dr. Nikia Grayson talks about her path to becoming a nurse-midwife, commitment to full spectrum reproductive heath care, and the importance of working in and with her community in Memphis, TN. This episode was made in collaboration with the Abortion Care Network (ACN) and was recorded at their 2019 annual conference. ACN is a national association for independent community-based, abortion clinics. Independent clinics like CHOICES, where Nikia Grayson is a nurse-midwife, care for the majority of people seeking abortion in the U.S. ACN provides the staff of those clinics with support, training, and resources. Nikia Grayson is a staff nurse-midwife at CHOICES Memphis Center for Reproductive Health. She has a deep commitment to providing compassionate, supportive, evidence-based holistic midwifery care to families in Memphis and continuing her career-long work in reproductive health, reproductive justice and birth justice. Nikia’s goal is to give her patients all the options available to them and empower them in their ability to make medical decisions for themselves and their families. (Published on May 6, 2019)

Abortion Diary Entry 166: Dr. Nikia Grayson