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Get to Know
Leniqua'dominique Jenkins
Candidate for Washington DC Council At-Large
Dear Neighbors,
I’m running for At-Large Councilmember because I believe every person in DC, in all eight wards, deserves leadership that is bold, experienced, and grounded in both compassion and action. We need voices on the Council who not only understand policy but also understand struggle and have a track record of turning community needs into real, lasting change.
As someone who lives East of the River, I bring the perspective of communities that have been left out of citywide decision-making for too long. From Ward 7, I’ve seen what happens when oversight fails, when budgets don’t reflect our realities, and when legislation doesn’t reach the people it was meant to serve. I’ve also seen what’s possible when people organize, speak out, and fight for their future.
I’ve worked inside the Wilson Building for both a former and a current Councilmember, helping draft legislation, advise on policy, and connect government to the communities it serves. I’ve also run successful businesses from DC to as far as East Africa, building a deep understanding of how public policy intersects with economic opportunity and everyday survival.
I bring a global lens to this work. My experience in Africa, India, and Spain taught me that creative, people-centered solutions are possible, and that DC can be a national model for what it looks like to lead with both equity and imagination. We can prove that compassion and policy can co-exist, and that government can be both effective and deeply human.
As a writer, whether publishing an Amazon top-selling children’s book, writing a public policy column, or helping shape legislation on the Hill, I know how to tell stories that matter and draft policy that delivers. As a former ANC Commissioner and now President of my university’s Graduate Student Government, I’ve fought for the needs of my neighbors and built coalitions to get things done.
But more than anything, I’m running because I believe DC deserves a Councilmember who knows what it means to be impacted and who is ready to lead from that experience with integrity, urgency, and vision.
This is personal to me. I’m not just running to hold a seat. I’m running to change who gets heard, who gets helped, and who gets to shape the future of this city. I’m running so that no one- working-class people, immigrants, young people, elders, and communities like mine don’t have to fight alone to be seen.
We need leadership that listens, leadership that leads with care, and leadership that’s unafraid to challenge the status quo. That’s the leadership I’m offering, and that’s why I’m running.
