Writings & Public Thought
Tamieka writes from the inside of the work — the organizing tables, the board rooms, the election night war rooms. Her pieces have informed policy advocates, movement leaders, funders, and everyday changemakers. They don't describe what should happen. They argue for what must.
"Writing is where I make sense of the world and imagine new ones."
— Tamieka Atkins
Latest · March 2025
Black women-led organizations are crucial for addressing systemic issues and building equitable societies — yet they face significant underfunding, particularly for unrestricted funds. This piece makes the strategic and moral case: investing in Black women's leadership yields long-term returns and fosters lasting change. This isn't charity. It's infrastructure.
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All Writings
November 2024 · Essay
Since Kamala Harris's loss, many have blamed economic anxiety. But that analysis doesn't hold. Black voters — especially Black women — face harsher economic realities and still showed up for her. The real reasons for her defeat are racism, anti-Blackness, and sexism. We must stop hiding behind weak excuses.
Read More →January 2022 · Op-Ed
Black women organizers in Georgia have been instrumental in increasing voter turnout, particularly in communities of color. Despite their proven track record, national organizations often overlook or contradict their efforts. Engage effectively, or get out of the way.
Read More →Nov 2021
ProGeorgia's partnership with Tikva Grassroots Empowerment Fund — built on trust and mutual respect — enabled sustained engagement with historically marginalized communities. The success of this model, exemplified by Georgia's 2020 voter turnout, shows what equitable philanthropic investment actually looks like in practice.
Sep 2020
The pandemic pushed a reframe: not just protecting elections, but protecting people and preserving leaders. On childcare benefits, staff sustainability, and what it takes to run a movement organization when the world is on fire — and why other organizations are now adopting ProGeorgia's model.
Nov 2018
Before the results came in, the organizing, the coalition-building, and the leadership of Black and Brown women had already changed what was possible. This piece argues that the measure of their power is not the outcome — it's the infrastructure they built getting there.
May 2018
The barriers keeping women from the ballot box aren't just logistical — they're structural. This piece moves past the surface-level solutions and names what would actually work, drawn from years of on-the-ground organizing with the communities most impacted.
Recurring Themes in Her Work
What it actually takes to build and sustain democratic power — beyond election cycles, beyond single campaigns, beyond the next news cycle.
The consistent underinvestment in and misrepresentation of Black women organizers — and what recognizing their leadership actually requires from institutions and funders.
How organizations and movements sustain themselves — and their people — through crisis, pressure, and the long haul of structural change.
She writes op-eds, essays, and public analysis on democracy, civic power, movement sustainability, and what it takes to build organizations and coalitions that last. Reach out with your pitch.
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