Together Restoring Economic Empowerment
Big Picture Thinker
Abre’ Conner is Founder of Together Restoring Economic Empowerment (TREE). Abre’ earned her law degree at American University Washington College of Law and undergraduate degrees from the University of Florida. She has been named as a top 40 under 40 lawyer by On Being a Black Lawyer, top 100 Black professionals by the Fresno Black Chamber of Commerce, Building Healthy Communities’ “Community Champion” awardee, featured in Zeta Phi Beta’s national magazine, New York Times’ The Daily, and in Cosmopolitan Magazine
Lead Policy Mover and Shaker
Jennifer Blemur is the Director of Policy and Legal Affairs for TREE. A licensed attorney living in the District, Jennifer graduated from the David A. Clarke School of Law. She served as the Policy Associate and Legal Counsel to the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. She worked with legislators on national policy priorities. Jennifer also served as a Legislative Counsel at the Council of the District of Columbia, where she was drafting legislation, meeting with stakeholders, and helping community members. Jennifer currently works as the Women's Legislator Lobby Director, a program of Women's Action for New Directions, an organization which builds women's political power to advocate for security and peace with justice.
Policy and Legal Affairs
Robert is an attorney and journalist in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. He has experience in civil rights, contract and business law. In addition to his legal practice, he is a producer with NPR and has previously written or produced for Sirius XM, HuffPost, and ESPN. He also serves as a co-chair with the Washington Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and the National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Advisory Board member
Cohost of the Think100Show and Vice President at the National Wildlife Federation
Advisory Board member
Co-owner of Nspiregreen LLC
Advisory Board member
Policy Counsel at the NFL-PA
Advisory Board member
Founder of Broccoli City
EMPOWERMENT DECLARATION Empowerment Declarations are videos of TREE supporters expressing their experiences and words of empowerment to address issues of economic and environmental injustices – especially within the minority millennial community. We hope you will contribute your own Empowerment Declaration (See Empowerment Kit). We are confident that any TREE supporter can make a great, compelling Empowerment Declaration. It is important to share your thoughts so that you can inspire others and let them know supporters and activists everywhere are working for a common goal – economic justice!
States are facing environmental issues that have the potential to affect communities of color and low-income communities disproportionately and fatally. Effects from state action on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) guidelines for the Clean Power Plan and fracking, trickle down to vulnerable communities and could help combat an overwhelming obstacle to toxic free environments and resulting health issues.
Learn MoreSo what is economic justice? Economic justice is about the attainment of rightful access to basic financial and material resources and opportunities. The key words are RIGHTFUL and BASIC. Rightful, because each individual has a right to reach the pinnacle of their potential and that right is facilitated by having access to economic stability.
Learn MoreHow can the Hollywood machine change course in order to fix deleterious views of people of color? One way is to address the lack of diversity behind the camera. Increasing the number of minority talent agents, talent scouts, directors, and the like, can increase the number of minority actors.
Learn MoreTREE has in person and web-based programming to uplift the voices of Black and Brown youth.
Learn MoreWhat is Seeds for Change? Seeds for Change is a youth environmental justice leadership program where fellows learn about environmental justice in Washington, DC. and California. During DC-based Seeds for Change, students will: Learn how to build partnerships within their community; Understand civic engagement and how to contact local elected officials; Develop skills in social media activism and messaging; Engage with environmental justice attorneys and DC council members.
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