Henok Mengistu

Resident Services Coordinator, National Housing Trust; Founder & Publisher, Ethiopique

Silver Spring, Maryland

Henok Mengistu is the founder and publisher of Ethiopique, the only Amharic-language local news platform in the U.S., reaching over 100,000 Ethiopian and Eritrean community members in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region. Through culturally resonant reporting, interviews, and partnerships with outlets like The 51st, Henok bridges generational and civic divides in diaspora communities. He also serves as a Resident Services Coordinator at the National Housing Trust, where he supports underserved communities through community-based partnerships and has helped prevent eviction for dozens of low-income families through trauma-informed care and tenant organizing. He aims to scale Ethiopique into a sustainable civic platform. He also serves on Montgomery County’s Community Development Advisory Committee.