Dawnn Lewis—a Grammy, NAACP Image, BMI, and ASCAP Award-winning singer, composer, producer, and actress—has been Captain Carol Freeman on “Star Trek: Lower Decks” for six years. As the show’s fifth and final season on Paramount Plus just completed, Dawnn is celebrating the intersection of art and advocacy.
Representation has been a cornerstone of Dawnn’s career, both in the roles she’s chosen—including her breakout role as Jaleesa Vinson in “A Different World”—and the impact they’ve had on audiences. Now, she is pouring into the future through her nonprofit, A New Day Foundation, which is committed to empowering underserved youth and grassroots organizations through educational initiatives and mentorship programs.
In a conversation with Her Agenda, Dawnn goes in-depth into her work, one rooted in purpose, faith, and determination.
Her Agenda: What was your reaction to being cast in Star Trek?
Dawnn Lewis: When I got the job, I had no idea what it was. [All I knew was that] it was an audition for a new Sci-Fi show that was going to series, and there wasn’t going to be a pilot. They were looking for someone to play the captain of this vessel, so I went in and read and did my best [interpretation] of Avery Brooks and William Shatner as my captain and booked the gig. It wasn’t until we showed up for the table read that they had us flip our script over to learn that it was actually a new Star Trek show. All of us were absolutely floored because the majority of us were all Trek fans. I have been a Star Trek fan since the very first series with Spock and Kirk and McCoy and was really moved and inspired to see Nichelle Nichols there. Before that, the only other brown-skinned woman that I had seen on television was Diane Carroll.
Her Agenda: How important is representation to you in your career?
Dawnn Lewis: I know what it meant to me to see someone that represented me on television, and now, because of my career, because of my journey, I’ve now become one of those people. It’s really humbling and I greatly appreciate the comments that I get from people who are moved and inspired or named their child after my character, or decided to go back to college, or are pursuing a career in technology. I think it’s very, very important for each of us to be able to have one of those examples to point to.
Her Agenda: What are you hoping that fans and viewers will take away from watching the show?
Dawnn Lewis: We generally like to say that it’s our final season on Paramount Plus to indicate that it’s not over until it’s over because shows have gotten canceled and picked up many, many times before. We’re really hoping that it won’t be long before we’re recording season six and landing and having a new home. So, I want the fans to take away that everything is possible. Anything is possible.
Her Agenda: Can you share a little bit more about A New Day Foundation and its overall mission?
Dawnn Lewis: The New Day Foundation is basically a play on my name, Dawnn – a new day. Ever since I was a young person going to public schools with limited resources, they expanded my mind, my perspective of life, and what was available to me exponentially. And I couldn’t be more grateful. So for most of my life, I have been going back to schools, doing master classes, doing workshops, giving motivational [speeches], reading to students, bringing books to elementary schools, and speaking with young people. About eight or nine years ago now, I wanted to do some national programming, and because I had already been doing this on my own and footing the bill myself, a lot of corporations saw what I was doing and were agreeable to supporting me financially. So in order to do that, I had to officially start A New Day Foundation, a nonprofit 501c3, to get corporate funding and sponsorship so that we can [execute] programs to empower teens.
We have a program for teen boys called MenTORS (Men Talking of Relevant Situations), a program for teen girls called Sisters Hangout, where we introduce them to different cultural and career opportunities that they don’t normally get access to. We have introduced them to how the government works, how to make them produce their own animation projects, camping, all kinds of things, and golf. We have an annual conference that focuses on financial literacy and technology, where we also offer scholarships. All of these programs are done free of charge to the participants. We have a couple of year-round programs in schools. One is called Inspiration 52, and the other one is called HBCU Heroes, which is open to any student who is currently enrolled in an HBCU College or University.
Her Agenda: What impact are you hoping the foundation’s efforts are leaving on the students through these events, programs, and initiatives?
Dawnn Lewis: One of our slogans is we want to help you attain the opportunity to be your best self, and that you are your best investment. So the reason we offer such a variety of opportunities and exposure to different things is that you never know what’s going to strike a chord with a young person. The more that they are exposed to, the more that they are informed of their opportunities. That’s what we’re trying to create. We’re trying to create a generation and generations to come of young people that see an expansive future for themselves, that see themselves as worthy, that see themselves as someone that, as long as they are willing to put in the work and focus and commit and persevere, there is nothing that should not be available to them. There is nothing that they should not be able to accomplish. We want them to see victory in themselves right now and an even greater victory in their future.
Her Agenda:What advice do you have for those trying to pave their own way?
Dawnn Lewis: First and foremost, you have to get out of your own way. All of us have insecurities, all of us have doubts. None of us are perfect human beings. But when you see a vision, when you see a path for yourself, particularly in the entertainment industry, it really is about your sense of self. And then continuously, perpetually marketing yourself, whether it’s to studios or to casting directors or to different media outlets, you really have to get out of your own way. I think we as individuals, we talk ourselves out of a lot of things. ‘I’m not talented enough, I’m not pretty enough, I’m not smart enough, I’m not resourceful enough.’ So, you’re never going to get where you want to go, regardless of what field it is with that perspective. We all have limitations, take the limitations off the table and do your homework, study, research, make phone calls, and do the work that it takes to show up when you get the opportunity. When that door is opened, after all the phone calls, after all the mailings, after all the meetings, and someone finally opens that door, you have to be prepared to step through. So you’ve got to persevere, you’ve got to prepare, and you’ve got to position yourself for success. It takes a lot of work. Don’t quit on yourself. Get out of your own way, and don’t quit on yourself.
I was a recording artist and a dancer, often working on Broadway and making records, having a band and touring, and then TV happened, and it changed my whole world. Not only did it change my whole world, but it opened up the world to me. Now, I get to do everything I was doing before and then some. You never know how it’s going to show up, but if you take yourself out of it, then you’re guaranteed that it won’t show up.
Her Agenda:What never slows down Dawnn’s agenda – what keeps you going to do what you do on a day-to-day basis?
Dawnn Lewis: Faith in God is first and foremost, that’s the only reason I have what I have is because of the doors that He opened for me and have sustained me through and working with the young people. Like I said, this industry that I am in can be very frustrating, it can be very intimidating, it can be a lot of things. There are some days, even with all that I do and have done, I get frustrated and just wonder: ‘Do I really want to keep pursuing this hustle and working with young people and encouraging them to be their best selves, encouraging them to put in the work, encouraging them to not quit?’ [But this work] reminds me to do the same. It’s hard to quit when you’re encouraging other folks not to quit. On those days when it becomes tough, I just remember the faces of the young people that I work with, that I collaborate with, and that I do my best to motivate. Then, I go back to the drawing board, and I suck it up, and I keep it moving so that nothing can stop my agenda.
[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
