Born and raised in South Louisiana, A’Niya has been an Advocacy Strategist at the ACLU of Louisiana since 2020. A'Niya works on the development, execution, and management of dynamic advocacy campaigns and political engagement strategies, particularly as it relates to LGBTQ+ justice and voting rights; coalition, network, and alliance building; cultural programming as a means to build support for legislative priorities and support the leadership of people directly impacted by key law and policy; and research, writing, and popular educating on issues of social justice all while centering the vision, goals, and needs of systems-impacted communities.
Previously, A’Niya served as the Racial Justice Fellow at the affiliate, and authored a first of its kind assessment of Louisiana’s pretrial system and a virtual exhibit that explored the oppression and resistance of Louisiana’s Black communities. Before joining the ACLU, A'Niya attended Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where she worked on housing, education, and economic justice issues as a student practitioner at the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice. She graduated in May 2019 with a Juris Doctor and a Certificate in Social Justice, and was grateful to receive two Equal Justice America fellowships.
While at Loyola, she completed a study of criminal justice debt in New Orleans' court system in addition to leading two research efforts on minimum wage preemption and community land trusts for Law for Black Lives. She was recognized by the American Bar Association’s State and Local Government Section for receiving the highest grade in her land use and local government law courses. A’Niya previously served on and chaired the National Advisory Committee of Equal Justice Works, and was instrumental in creating the Committee's first Diversity and Inclusion working group. She also has served as President of her National Lawyers Guild chapter; as a FEMA Legal Advocate for people affected by natural disasters; and as an advocate for survivors of gender-based violence. A'Niya also spent time at the New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice, working with communities of color on decriminalization of poverty and economic justice and at Disability Rights Louisiana, working on lawsuits related to solitary confinement and education accessibility.
Prior to law school, A’Niya was a community organizer on issues of education justice and farm labor while also teaching GED preparation courses. While pursuing an undergraduate degree in political science and history, she worked at the Orleans Public Defenders office and the Louisiana Supreme Court.
She is licensed to practice law in Louisiana, and she is a member of the New Orleans chapter of the Louis A. Martinet Society, American Bar Association, National Bar Association, and enjoys working with first-generation law students. She is also a founding donor of the American LGBTQ+ Museum and an advisory board member of BreakOut!, an organization that seeks to end the criminalization of LGBTQ+ youth. When not in the office, A'Niya enjoys cooking, gardening, and working on her family's farm.
