Eva Lewis facts for kids

Eva Maria Lewis is a young American activist from South Side, Chicago. She has led many protests in her community. For example, she organized a youth march on July 11, 2016, at Millennium Park. This march spoke out against unfair treatment by police. Eva also started two groups: The I Project and Youth for Black Lives.

Education and Early Activism

Eva Lewis went to Walter Payton College Prep for high school. She is now a student at the University of Pennsylvania.

Eva's journey as an activist began when she was young. Her first protest was with her mother on Michigan Avenue (Chicago). This was after the shooting of Trayvon Martin. When she started high school, Eva became even more involved. She had attended primary school in the South Side, which is a less wealthy area with many African Americans.

In 2015, when Eva was in high school, she started a non-profit group called The I Project. This group helps different kinds of activism through art. It raises money and connects with the community. The I Project has held events like a photo shoot for people of all shapes and sizes. This event also included a talk about culture and body image. They also showed Beyoncé's film, Lemonade, and had a discussion with people of different ages.

Youth for Black Lives

In 2016, Eva and three other young Black women activists organized a youth sit-in in Chicago. They wanted to protest police shootings of people of color, like Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. The organizers used social media to gather young people. They created a Facebook event and used the hashtag #BLMCHIYouth.

The four organizers led a large crowd of over 1,000 young people. Some reports say there were even 2,000 people. They held a peaceful sit-in at Millennium Park. Then, they marched down Michigan Avenue and State Street (Chicago). No one was arrested during the protest. This was an important victory, especially because Chicago sometimes has a reputation for violence, especially among young people of color. It also showed a difficult relationship between activists and the Chicago police.

After this march, Eva and the other organizers created Youth for Black Lives (Y4BL). This group helps young people speak up against unfair systems. With Y4BL, Eva organized another march on August 7, 2016. This march also started in Millennium Park. It protested police actions after the death of Paul O'Neal.

In November 2016, Y4BL planned another march. This was in response to a shooting in Mount Greenwood, Chicago. It was also because of some text messages sent among students at Marist High School (Chicago, Illinois). However, Eva and the organizers received threats online. Their parents were also contacted by school leaders. Because of safety worries, the march was canceled.

Instead, Y4BL arranged meetings with Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson. The first meeting was on November 11, 2016. Superintendent Johnson, the Chief of Patrol, the Alderman of Mt. Greenwood, and the principal of Marist High School attended. During this and later meetings, Eva and other Y4BL members asked Johnson questions. They talked about racism and policing in Mt. Greenwood and all of Chicago.

Speaking at the United Nations

Eva Lewis was involved with the Girl Scouts of the USA for ten years. Through this, she took part in the United Nations’ 60th Annual Commission on the Status of Women. This event happened in New York in March 2016.

Eva spoke at the UN again in October 2016. This was for the United Nations' International Day of the Girl Child. She performed spoken word during the event's opening. She also gave a speech during the main part of the meeting.

Writing for Teen Vogue

Eva Lewis wrote articles for Teen Vogue in 2016 and 2017. Her articles focused on Black women and different types of feminism. She also wrote about how people see and deal with violence in Chicago. Eva often writes about social justice, especially for people of color.

Awards and Recognition

Eva Lewis has received several awards for her activism:

• Pioneer Award, Chicago Foundation for Women, March 2017
• Princeton Prize in Race Relations, April 2017
• Rising Star award, DuSable Museum of African American History, June 2017

Publications and Speeches

You can learn more about Eva Lewis and her work through these links:

• Eva Lewis articles on Teen Vogue website
• ABC 7 Chicago interview with Lewis on The I Project
• Eva Lewis Opening Performance, U.N. International Day of the Girl Child, 2016
• Eva Lewis Speech, U.N. International Day of the Girl Child, 2016
• Chicago: A Land of Wilderness and Oasis | Eva Lewis | TEDxTeen