Juanita Lewis was meant for advocacy. For over two decades, she has organized and fought for social and economic justice in Yonkers and across New York. Her impact has led to an appointment on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s transition team, following his historic election as the first South Asian and Muslim mayor of the city—and the youngest in more than a century. Lewis, who rose through the ranks from organizer to executive director at Community Voices Heard (CVH), continues in that role while also serving on the mayor’s Community Organizing Committee. In an exclusive sit-down with The Leveler News, she candidly reflects on the journey as an activist and asserts that her work in Yonkers is far from over.
It’s three days before Christmas in Lewis’ Harlem office at CVH. She sits behind her desk in a black-and-white patterned dress, black booties, and long, curled locs cascading down her back. Her funky red glasses contrast with a watch a few shades lighter, hinting at her playful style. A takeout bag, still untouched, sits behind her desk, evidence of a lunch postponed by work. She smiles warmly, ready to dive into our early afternoon conversation. As she ponders the earliest moments she first felt called to advocacy, she leans back and gazes thoughtfully in the distance.
“As a kid, I just always knew that I didn’t like it when people were treated unfairly,” she shares. “So whatever job was going to let me make sure that people were treated fairly, that’s what I was going to do.”
The first time she stood up for someone was in elementary school during recess when a group of boys told Lewis and her friends they couldn’t play football because they were girls. Lewis organized her team and played anyway, amid taunting and teasing from the boys.
Despite losing “horribly,” the Minnesota native learned a valuable lesson. “After that, there was always this feeling of ‘You can’t tell me I can’t do something because —just fill in the blank —I’m a girl/woman, I’m Black, I’m this, I’m that. I’m going to do it.”
Finding Her Voice
Because of her propensity for asking questions, speaking up for others, and occasionally arguing her point, Lewis’ family expected her to pursue law. However, she discovered political organizing, social justice, and election campaign work during her time at the University of Minnesota, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in history and political science. While she was intrigued, she didn’t consider the career path full-time until she enrolled in graduate school at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She earned her master’s degree in advocacy and political leadership.
“As time went on,” she says, “the more I was trying to learn this work, I realized there’s always been some entity telling another group of people ‘You can’t do this thing because you’re poor, or because you’re Black or Brown, or because you’re a woman, or because you have public housing—or you’re on public assistance.”
In 2006, Lewis served for a year as the assistant to then-St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman. She also became involved with the Minnesota chapter of the historic Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), where she was introduced to electoral campaigning. Tasked with mobilizing voters for presidential candidates, she realized there was more to this work.
“People on the other side of the door would say, ‘I'm going to vote for this person, but what will this person do about this issue in this neighborhood?’ I was getting people to vote for a presidential candidate, and, of course, these were very local issues. I said, ‘That is a good question. We're going to figure that out.’”
Building Power in Yonkers
Knocking on doors and listening to residents’ concerns inspired Lewis to focus on local issues and campaigns. The opportunity arrived when she relocated to New York for an organizing position at CVH in 2009.
Founded in 1994, CVH is a Black and brown-led, civic power-building organization committed to fighting for dignity for people with low incomes and all New Yorkers. The organization operates in four different areas across the state: New York City, Newburgh/Orange County, Poughkeepsie/Beacon, and Westchester County/Yonkers.
"The organizers we've trained, the campaigns we've won, the leaders we've developed - all of this has been preparation for this fight. CVH was created precisely for moments like these."
- Juanita Lewis, Executive Director Community Voices Heard, 2025 CVH Annual Report
CVH enlisted Lewis as the lead organizer for its Yonkers/Westchester chapter, a role she held until 2016, when she was promoted to Hudson Valley Organizer Director. She advanced to Executive Director in 2021.
Her years of leadership led to CVH becoming the force behind the 2013 Yonkers Affordable Housing Ordinance, which requires developers to set aside 10% of their units for affordable housing on all new construction (CVH campaigned for 20%). The organization also won the Good Cause Eviction, a law that protects Yonkers and Hudson Valley residents from unjust evictions and unreasonable rent increases.
Since Lewis’ years in Yonkers, CVH expanded its operation with a leadership pipeline through the Ella Baker School for Community Organizing, the Follow Black Women campaign, and its Summer of Power initiative, which engaged more than 1,000 community members in conversations about their priorities and desires for change.
“I remember meeting folks who didn’t think that they could go to City Hall when it was literally up the street from our office,” Lewis recalls. “They didn’t think they had the right to go. They didn’t know they could come to the meetings. But because we do our trainings where we do a lot of roleplays and practice before we got into these meetings, that’s how you’re building up people’s confidence around speaking to officials or speaking to the press.”
The organization’s impact has earned recognition from the New York State Council of Churches with the Excellence in Housing Justice Award from the New York State Council of Churches and was honored by the WESPAC Foundation during its 50th anniversary celebration.
In 2013, members of Community Voices Heard, train to meet with the then newly elected Mayor Mike Spano to discuss issues in Southwest side of Yonkers, NY.
Over the past year, CVH organized 92 events statewide, supported tenants in winning settlements after a 16-month rent strike, helped secure more than $225 million for NYCHA capital repairs—plus an additional $75 million for upstate housing— and backed 17 CVH Power–endorsed candidates who won their elections. Mayor Mamdani was not only counted among them; he was the top choice.
Transitioning to Governance
Even before CVH officially endorsed Mamdani, Lewis found his campaign compelling and relatable. In all her years of working on housing, the last few have been the most she has heard people discuss affordability.
“I remember when [CVH] members decided to endorse him,” Lewis says. “I asked who we should rank, and before I could say ‘number one,’ they said ‘Zohran.’ It was beautiful because it was a mixture of folks: young, old, Black, Brown, White, male, female. It was just a whole spectrum. That showed me that he just resonated with everybody at this point.”
Last September, Mamdani participated in CVH’s Follow Black Women campaign, a project to create “an infrastructure for deep organizing of Black women across the state to win policy reforms”. Lewis was impressed with how engaged, personable, and genuine he was during the event, describing the moment as “something that I hadn’t seen from other elected officials in a while.”
The resonance was mutual.
On Monday, November 24, 2025, just three days before Thanksgiving, the then Mayor-Elect announced the creation of his transition team, which included Lewis.
“A love for hard work, a deep belief in the promise of New York City, and a commitment to the affordability agenda that New Yorkers are demanding unite the more than 400 experts we have appointed to our Transition Committees today,” Mamdani said during the press conference. “By helping us recruit top talent and develop smart policy, these committees will be instrumental to ensuring we hit the ground running on January 1st —and that our results align with the promises we've made.”
The week before the transition team announcement, Lewis was offered a role via text message. Over 70,000 people applied for positions in Mamdani’s administration. She is humbled by the recognition.
While her deputy director had an “I told you so” moment, Lewis was shocked.
With honors like Schneps Media’s Power Women of Manhattan and City & State’s 2025 Women Power 100, increasing recognition for Lewis’ impact shows why the appointment was clear to the people who know her, but Lewis is focused on the work, not her status.“They're like, ‘will you just enjoy this moment?’ I said, ‘I am. It's a whole lot, though. I gotta wear this dress’…and it was cool for the Power 100 because it was just a moment to celebrate. Folks were like, ‘Will you just let people celebrate you? I was like, ‘okay, cool.’”
Longtime CVH member Rose Fernandez was also named to Mamdani’s Housing Subcommittee, bringing powerful grassroots leadership to the table.
Lewis’ work as CVH’s Executive Director will continue alongside her committee role, ensuring that the Mayor’s agenda is delivered to the people and that voters and residents remain engaged.
“I just have to remember that all this stuff is connected, and it’s about figuring out how to win material goods and material needs for lower-income New Yorkers of color in New York City and New York State. Transition teams don’t last forever. I’m only here for a certain moment in time to do my piece."
Managing her work at CVH and the mayoral transition team will be a “balancing act” for Lewis, though one she feels prepared for. She plans to stay hydrated, drink coffee, and rely on the support of her assistant help keep her grounded.
“I am always thinking about these things because of my work, and now thinking how this connects to when he gets into office, and then how it connects to the state and city budgets.”
Rooted in Yonkers
It’s been about a decade since Lewis’ efforts were focus on Yonkers, but she’ll be returning to the city in one way. She points to its proximity to New York City as an opportunity for Yonkers to do more and better when it comes to housing, employment, and “progressive” values. 2026 will see a rebuilding of the CVH Yonkers chapter.
“It’s a deeper focus on the base building and being on the ground and talking to folks, and really asking, ‘Are you content with what’s happening right now in Yonkers? And if you’re not, what do you want to do about it? If you want to do something about it, let’s do something about it together. Let’s paint that picture together.”
To this day, she reminds herself “not to sweat the small stuff because there are bigger things to worry about,” and to keep “figuring out more ways to have fun” (a New Year's Resolution).
When asked if she has plans of her own to run for office (a question she says she often gets), she is clear.
“I don’t see myself running for office,” she says. “I see my job as getting good folks ready for office. That could change 10 years from now, but right now? No.”
For more information about Community Voices Heard and how to get involved in local politics visit their official website.
