Empowering PEOPLE. BUILDING POWER. CREATING OPPORTUNITIES.
Join us to demand changes for all residents and neighborhoods to be sustainable and thrive.
meet the founder
Tené Lewis, MA
Tene' Lewis is the CEO and Founder of Warriors Empowering District Communities (WEDC), and leads initiatives focused on environmental justice, public health, youth empowerment, and community engagement across the District of Columbia. She is known for building strategic partnerships among residents, government agencies, nonprofits, and a
Tene' Lewis is the CEO and Founder of Warriors Empowering District Communities (WEDC), and leads initiatives focused on environmental justice, public health, youth empowerment, and community engagement across the District of Columbia. She is known for building strategic partnerships among residents, government agencies, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations to advance community-driven solutions. Tene' has advised the NAACP-DC Environmental & Climate Justice Committee, testified before the D.C. Council on environmental and public health issues, and leads the Campaign to Reduce Lead Exposure and Asthma. She holds a Master of Arts in Human Resource Development from Bowie State University and is dedicated to expanding equitable access to resources, strengthening communities, and developing future leaders. Guided by integrity, respect, and a commitment to uplifting others, she believes lasting change begins by empowering communities to lead solutions that improve health and quality of life.
Our Mission & Guiding Principles
Empowering & Collaborating with District Residents
WEDC is a DC-rooted organization committed to building resident power and creating meaningful change across the District of Columbia. We advocate for accountability, fairness, and transparency in the decisions, policies, and systems that impact DC residents and their families.
We bridge the gap between communities and decision-makers by empowering those most impacted to use their voices, build partnerships, and help shape the policies and solutions that affect their lives.
Our goal is simple: to ensure DC residents use their voice, agency, and power to influence the decisions that shape their communities.
We lead with kindness and empathy, motivate others to create positive change, and advocate with unwavering integrity and tenacity.
It's simple: MAKE IT!
ADVOCACY in action
Campaigns | Events | Community Meetings | Public Actions | Policy Advocacy | Partnerships
ADVOCACY EFFORTS
Allergy & Asthma Lobby Day (2024 & 2025)
Campaign to Reduce Lead Exposure & Asthma (2020 to Present)
Color of Change Lobby Day (May 2025)
DC Environmental Justice Coalition - Steering Committee (2024 to 2026)
D.C. Green Budget Day of Action (2025 & 2026)
Make Polluters Pay Coalition
Testimony: Budget Hearing - Committee of the Whole (May 2026)
Testimony: Budget Hearing - DOES Youth Workers Minimum Wage increase (B25-744)
Testimony: Oversight Hearing - DC Bottle Bill (2025)
Testimony: Budget Hearing - Robert F Kennedy Campus Development Act 2025 (B26-288)
Testimony: Oversight Hearing - Lead-Free DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2023
COMMUNITY EVENTS & PARTNERSHIPS
2026 Environment & Arts Youth Summit - Seed 2 Bloom, MSK, and UDC
DC Lead-Free Workshops in Partnership with DC Water, Young Gifted & Green, & other CBOs (Aug. 2024 to Present)
Environmental Justice Action Summit - Empower DC & other CBOs (April 2024)
Environment Youth Summit - Empower DC (2024) Ward 7 Resilience Hub (2025)
kNOw LEAD Poisoning Education Sessions - (2021 to 2026)
Nannie Helen Burroughs Parade & Summit - ANC 7C02 (April 2026)
Nannie Helen Burroughs Community Day -ANC 7C02 (May 2026)
Ward 7 Environmental Justice Townhall - ANC 7C02 (March 2025)
Ward 8 Environmental Justice Townhall - ANC 8C07 (November 2023)
Women & Femme Healing Retreat (February 2023)
PANELIST OPPORTUNITIES
DC Sierra Club Chapter - Air Quality Monitoring (July 11, 2026)
Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, & Health (CEEJH) - 10th Annual Symposium (September 10, 2024)
How we Create Change
WEDC creates opportunities for DC residents to heal, grow, connect, and lead. Our programs are rooted in lived experience and built around trusted relationships, mentorship, advocacy, and community partnerships.
Across all of our programs, we meet people where they are, build trust, connect them to resources, and empower them to become advocates for themselves.
Youth Empowerment
We help young people build confidence, develop leadership and advocacy skills, navigate challenges such as bullying and mental health, and envision pathways to education, careers, and healthy futures.
Women's Empowerment & Healing
We create supportive spaces for women impacted by incarceration, homelessness, domestic violence, addiction, and trauma to reconnect with their communities, access resources, and reclaim their voice and sense of agency.
Sustainable & Safe Communities
We help families and seniors address unsafe housing and environmental conditions by connecting them to trusted experts, resources, referrals, and mutual aid. We also educate residents about healthier, safer, and more sustainable homes and communities
Invest in Community. Empower Change.
Creating lasting change takes more than identifying problems. It takes people, partnerships and resources.
You can support by investing in our programs, becoming a community partner, sponsoring an event, sharing resources and expertise, volunteering your time, or making a financial contribution.