Zakiya Summers is an American politician and former journalist who is currently serving as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the 68th district. She assumed office on January 7, 2020.
Born on January 14, 1983, in Houston, Texas, Summers earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism in 2005. After graduation, she 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 been working as the director of communications and advocacy at the ACLU of Mississippi.
Summers was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives and assumed office on January 7, 2020. She has made significant contributions to her community and has held various positions throughout her career. For instance, she served as the Hinds County District 3 election commissioner in 2015 and won a full term in 2016. However, she resigned in February 2019 to run for state legislature.
In addition to her political career, Summers has been involved in numerous community and professional organizations. She has served as co-chair for the Mississippi Sickle Cell Foundation, as a board member of the University Mississippi Medical Center Community Advisory Board, as secretary for the Jayne Avenue Neighborhood Association, as public relations committee chair for the NAACP Jackson Branch, and as a Class Two Fellow of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network. She has also served on the United Way of the Capitol Area’s Young Professional Leaders Council, Women for Progress of Mississippi, Hinds County Federation of Democratic Women, Hinds County Health Department Family Planning Council, Jackson Association of Black Journalists, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
On a personal note, Zakiya is married to Andra Harlee, and they have three sons – Marvin, Mason, and Mathis. She is a Broadcast Journalism graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and is pursuing a master of public policy and administration degree from Jackson State University.
