Councilwoman Nikki Nice: Women of Influence
The exhaustion in Oklahoma City Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice’s voice is palpable. Oklahoma City, along with the rest of the world, is a dozen weeks into the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, followed by sustained nationwide protests and demonstrations over the horrific murder of George Floyd by four former police officers in Minneapolis, and she is running on fumes. Her load is heavy but as she speaks, an undercurrent of determination resonates and her natural optimism shines through.
This is a woman who has sacrificed incredibly both, personally and professionally, to serve the community she’s lived in, and loved, her entire life. The councilwoman is a fourth-generation Oklahoman. Born, raised and spiritually nurtured in Ward 7, Nice attended Millwood Public Schools and is a graduate of Northeast High School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting from historic Langston University, and spent time studying abroad in West Africa. Her pre-politics career in radio and television spanned a decade and a half.
Her blossoming, promising media career ended, or at least took a hard pause, nearly the moment she won her seat on the City Council, defeating seven other candidates to get there. “I won, but it came at a cost. Now, I am a full-time City Councilperson, at a salary of $12,000 annually. It’s a burden. I wasn’t expecting to have to worry about caring for myself in addition to caring for my community. People say it all the time, but I’m not a politician; I didn’t know that this is a part of what takes place. So I try to stay focused on my purpose.”
Nice’s purpose is simple but profoundly complex: caring for and improving the lives of every resident of Ward 7. It’s one of Oklahoma City’s largest districts, covering 130 square miles and historically lacking access to resources, which means the health, economic and systemic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are pushing an already-precarious situation to the breaking point. “We’ve always had a barrier of access. Resources are few and far between during ‘normal’ times. For a community of color, living paycheck to paycheck isn’t anything new for us. This is our life. The difference is that it’s much harder to fill those gaps when the needs are so immediate, as they are now,” Nice says.
One resource she’s working to restore to her constituents is a neighborhood grocery store, something people in any neighborhood should be able to take for granted. It’s been almost a year since the Smart Saver at the corner of Northeast 23rd ST and Martin Luther King Blvd. abruptly shut its doors, leaving behind a food desert, or region with little to no access to fresh, healthy, affordable foods. The elderly and those without transportation in the area are especially affected.
With the passing of MAPS4, Nice is working with Oklahoma City’s forward-thinking Mayor David Holt, Ward 7 Citizens Advisory Board Member Monique Bruner and others to channel funds to the NE 23rd and MLK area, creating a focal point for the community including the grocery store, the Willa D. Johnson Recreation Center, and more.
“It’s such a prominent corner of that part of the city,” Holt said in an interview in The Oklahoman. “There will be the Clara Luper Center across the street, funding for sidewalks and place-making. You also will have a Ralph Ellison statue, presumably at the library at the corner … and now funding for the northeast corner. There are a lot of pieces that are intended to remake the area which has always been thought of as the heart of the community but has not always reflected that.”
Nice is a trailblazer among trailblazers. She is the second woman of color (Willa D. Johnson was the first, serving Ward 7 for 14 years) and the 10th woman ever to serve on Oklahoma City’s city council. Nice is honored to follow in such venerable footsteps but feels the weight of her responsibility. “When people applaud that fact, I tell them that it’s a lot to hold on your shoulders. You’re representing all women and anyone with melanin. You want to make sure you’re doing things well and smoothing the way for the next person.”
Ward 2’s James Cooper is the first African American city councilman to serve a ward other than Ward 7. Mayor David Holt, a citizen of the Osage Nation, is the first Native American to serve as our city’s mayor. When Nice was elected, the majority of the Council, including Mayor Holt, were 40 years old or younger.
Nice may be new to politics but her history of community service is as long and impressive as the list of awards she’s won for her work. She is the proud recipient of the Opio Toure Medallion award presented by the Oklahoma County Democrats, the Finer Womanhood Award presented by the Chi Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Citizen of the Year Award presented by the Upsilon Iota Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and the Reach Forward No Fear Lady Award.
Nice also served as a member of Class one of L.O.Y.A.L. (Linking Oklahoma’s Young Adult Leaders), Leadership Oklahoma City Class 35, an inaugural Board Member of NLC Oklahoma (New Leaders Council), and a Northeast Task Force Member with OKCPS. She currently serves as an Executive Board Member for HeartLine, Inc., a Special Friends of Ralph Ellison Library Executive Board Member, a BLAC (Black Liberated Arts Center) Incorporated Board Member, a Working Together for Change Ministries Board Member and Northeast Academy PTSA Vice President.
Her service is a phenomenal undertaking, and Nice knows this. “I want people to realize that I am a person who really wants to see change. I want people to know that we are a community of greatness, and that is what keeps me going every day. I want people to understand that we may be in need, but we are not hopeless.”
photo by Kennon Bryce