Welcome to WERA

WERA is a non-profit organization based out of Mebane, North Carolina that is dedicated to getting local People of Color Communities the basic amenities which they deserve. This website serves as a digital archive of WERA’s nearly thirty years of history.

Our co-founders: Omega and Brenda Wilson

Our History

The WERA COMR model, which has been vetted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), consists of nine workgroups that collaborate to address disparities in Mebane environmental justice communities.

Our Vision and Mission

Image of Vi Lyles, mayor of Charlotte NC, and Michael Regan, EPA administrator, at a roundtable conference in Charlotte, NC that was attended by Omega and Brenda Wilson. This conference took place in June 2021 and featured discussions about the safe disposal of COVID-19 hazardous and medical waste.

Our Current Projects

“Cherish” by Kojo Wilson: EnviroArt August 2003

Our Photo Gallery

“Cherish every drop of water you drink, Cherish every leaf that’s green, Cherish every hand keeping it clean.” — Omega Wilson


Founded in 1994 by Omega and Brenda Wilson, the West End Revitalization Association, Inc. is Alamance County’s first, and only, grassroots “Right to Basic Amenities” organization. WERA provides service to residents, homeowners, and landowners of five predominantly Black communities in, and around, Mebane. These communities, which are located just beyond the Mebane city limits, were settled by former slaves shortly after the Civil War and are 85% to 95% African-American. 

For years, these historic communities have been denied the right to basic amenities like clean water and safe sewage. They have also been targeted for destruction by the NC Department of Transportation (DOT) and companies like Walmart and Lidl. WERA seeks to rectify these injustices by providing environmental protection, planned development, and stabilization to these communities. Additionally, WERA seeks to combat the institutional racism that is inherent in these injustices by empowering residents with financial, legal, and moral support.

Donate to WERA Today!

Every single dollar counts. Each donation received will go toward our fight to insure that each and every household in the Mebane area has clean water, safe sewage, and other basic amenities.

As of right now, digital PayPal donations and physical checks are the only forms of payment accepted.

Maps of People of Color Communities in the Mebane Area

Map of the West End Community as rendered on WERA’s original website in 2000, before the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) made their official maps public.
Map of the White Level Community as rendered on WERA’s original website in 2000, before NCDOT made their official maps public.
Map of the Buckhorn and Perry Hill Communities as rendered on WERA’s original website in 2000, before NCDOT made their official maps public.