Eva Lewis

Eva Maria Lewis[1] is a student protester, advocate, poet, and artist. From South Side, Chicago,[2] she is a contributor to Teen Vogue, founder of The I Project, Youth for Black Lives, and an organizer of the July 11, 2016 youth march on Millennium Park to protest police brutality.

Eva Lewis
Years active2016–present

Education

Lewis is a graduate of Walter Payton College Prep, and a student at University of Pennsylvania.[3][4]

Community activism

After the shooting of Trayvon Martin, Lewis protested for the first time, marching with her mother on Michigan Avenue (Chicago).[2] Lewis became further engaged while attending high school at Walter Payton College Prep, after attending primary school in the less-affluent, majority African American South Side.[5] In 2015, when she was a junior in high school, Lewis founded the non-profit The I Project. The I Project supports intersectional activism through art, with fundraising and community outreach.[6] Events have included a photo shoot for people of all sizes and shapes, with a discussion of culture and body image, and a screening of Beyoncé's Lemonade with inter-generational panel discussion.[5]

In 2016, Lewis joined three other black teen women activists to organize a youth sit-in in Chicago, to protest police shootings of people of color, particularly Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.[5] The organizers rallied young community members on social media, with a Facebook event and the hashtag #BLMCHIYouth. The four organizers led a crowd of over 1,000 (some sources say 2,000)[7][5] people in a peaceful sit-in in Millennium Park, and a march down Michigan Avenue and State Street (Chicago). There were no arrests, a symbolic victory because of the reputation of violence in Chicago, especially among youth of color, and a strained relationship between anti-racism activists and Chicago police.[8] Following the march, Lewis and the organizers started Youth for Black Lives (Y4BL) to activate youth voices against systemic oppression.[5] With Y4BL, Lewis organized a second march beginning in Millennium Park on August 7, 2016, to protest police brutality following the death of Paul O'Neal.[7] In November 2016, in response to a deadly shooting in Mount Greenwood, Chicago where Joshua Beal, 25, of Indianapolis brandished a gun and failed to drop it after being instructed by a police sergeant; and text messages sent among students of Marist High School (Chicago, Illinois),[9] Y4BL organized another march. However, Lewis and the organizers received threats on social media, and CPS leadership contacted the organizers parents, and the march was cancelled due to safety concerns.[10] Instead, Y4BL organized meetings with Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson. The first, held on November 11, 2016, included Johnson, the Chief of Patrol, the Alderman of Mt. Greenwood, and the principal of Marist High School. During the first and subsequent meetings, Lewis and the other Y4BL members questioned Johnson and discussed racism and policing in Mt. Greenwood and Chicago at large.[7][11]

United Nations

Through her decade of involvement with the Girl Scouts of the USA, Lewis participated in the United Nations’ 60th Annual Commission on the Status of Women in New York in March 2016.[4] Lewis spoke at the U.N. again in October 2016 for the United Nations' International Day of the Girl Child, performing spoken word during the opening of the event; she also gave a speech during the proceedings.[12]

Teen Vogue

Lewis contributed to Teen Vogue in 2016 and 2017, focusing on black women, intersectional feminism, and perceptions and approaches to handling violence in Chicago.[13] She addresses social justice, especially for people of color.[3]

Awards

Publications and speeches

References
  1. Jordan, Candace (June 29, 2017). "Chance The Rapper, community leaders honored at DuSable Museum gala". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  2. Chang, Bettina (July 14, 2016). "How Four Teenage Girls Organized This Week's Huge Silent Protest". Chicago magazine. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  3. "Eva Lewis - Chicago Foundation for Women". Chicago Foundation for Women. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  4. Watson, Andrea V. (October 14, 2016). "Chicago Teen Delivers Powerful Speech To U.N. On Plight Of Black Girls". DNAinfo Chicago. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  5. Hall, Mia (May 1, 2017). "Young, Gifted & Black: Chicago teen leads a new movement in Chicago". NBC News. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  6. "Mission". The I Project. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  7. "Past Actions". Youth for Black Lives. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  8. Lewis, Eva. "Meet the Teenage Girl Who Shut Down Chicago's Streets With a #BlackLivesMatter Protest". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  9. Cherney, Elyssa. "Meeting with top cop sometimes frustrating for student activists". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  10. "Six South Side teens spark activism using social media". Medill Reports Chicago. 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  11. Cherney, Elyssa (January 17, 2017). "Meeting with top cop sometimes frustrating for student activists". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  12. "Chicago Teen To Address United Nations About Plight Of Black Girls". DNAinfo Chicago. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  13. "Eva Lewis Bio, latest news and articles". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  14. "Chicago Foundation for Women Announces 2017 Impact Awards Honorees". Chicago Foundation for Women. January 24, 2017. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  15. Makhijani, Pooja (May 8, 2017). "Princeton Prize honors high school students for promoting understanding, respect". Princeton University. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  16. Maudlyne, Ihejirika (June 18, 2017). "DuSable Museum honors 'Rising Star' for leadership at home, church". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
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