MEET OUR FOUNDER

“Every girl I serve reflects a piece of my own journey — who I was, who I am, and who I’m still becoming.”
— Thea Lopez

Hello, I’m Thea Lopez — a Wilmington native, community organizer, environmental and prevention-centered youth leader. My work lives at the intersection of culture, healing, and community power, creating spaces where young people feel safe, affirmed, and equipped to lead.

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Service runs deep in my family. My grandfather, William “Hicks” Anderson, was a leading community activist in the 1970s, and his legacy continues through my father, a social worker who later served as a State Representative and City Council member. From them, I learned that leadership is rooted in showing up, standing up, and serving others.

My advocacy for Black girls and women is both personal and purposeful. Growing up navigating multiple identities, meeting my father at nine, and being raised by a mother in recovery shaped my understanding of resilience, empathy, and what it means to be expected to carry too much too soon. When I learned about the concept of adultification in 2015, it gave language to what I — and so many girls — had experienced.

That understanding led me to found Girls Like Us (G.L.U.), a prevention-based empowerment program supporting Black and Brown girls as children first. Through culturally rooted mentorship, social-emotional learning, and leadership development, G.L.U. creates spaces where girls heal, grow, and step into their power.

Through experience, education, and opportunity, we help girls not just survive Black girlhood — but thrive in it — building confidence, protective factors, and a sense of purpose that carries into their futures.

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 Community & Civic Leadership

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Beyond G.L.U., my work extends across Wilmington — advocating for community safety, education, environmental justice, and youth opportunity through multiple leadership roles:

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• President, Harlan Park Civic Association

• 1st Ward Chair, Delaware Democratic Committee

• Member, Brandywine School District Parent & Citizen Advisory Council

• Member, National Coalition of 100 Black Women Delaware Chapter (NCBWDE)

• Northside Food & Culture Market - Advisory Committee Member

• Board Member, I Can Do 26.2 Kids Running Series

• Board Member, Delaware Pacem in Terris

• Village Hilltop Foundation - Board Member

• Member, Mary Ann’s List (MAL)

• James H. Gilliam, Sr. Fellow

• Justice Outside, Rising Leader Fellow

Education: B.S. in Integrated Marketing, Bloomsburg University

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 Guided by Purpose

I believe in building bridges — between people, between communities, and between what is and what can be. Whether planting seeds in green spaces, mentoring youth, or shaping policy, my purpose remains the same:

“When girls thrive, communities rise"

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