Maggie Chapman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maggie Chapman
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Official portrait, 2021
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| Member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) |
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| Assumed office 6 May 2021 |
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| Co-Convenor of the Scottish Greens | |
| In office November 2013 – 1 August 2019 Serving with Patrick Harvie
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| Preceded by | Martha Wardrop |
| Succeeded by | Lorna Slater (as Co-leader of the Scottish Greens) |
| Councillor, City of Edinburgh Council | |
| In office 3 May 2007 – June 2015 |
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| Constituency | Leith Walk |
| Lord Rector of the University of Aberdeen | |
| In office April 2015 – 31 March 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Maitland Mackie |
| Succeeded by | Martina Chukwuma-Ezike |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 June 1979 Salisbury, Zimbabwe Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) |
| Political party | Scottish Greens |
| Education | Dominican Convent School, Harare |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh University of Stirling |
| Profession | Teacher |
Maggie Chapman (born 27 June 1979) is a politician and lecturer in Scotland. She is a member of the Scottish Greens party. She serves as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the North East Scotland area.
Before becoming an MSP, Maggie Chapman was a co-leader of the Scottish Greens from 2013 to 2019. She also worked as a councillor for the City of Edinburgh Council. A councillor is a person elected to a local government body. She was also the Rector of the University of Aberdeen, which is a special role representing students.
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Early Life and Education
Maggie Chapman was born in 1979 in a place called Salisbury, which is now Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. Her family moved there from South Africa in 1978. Her father worked as a director at a music college.
She grew up in Zimbabwe and went to a school that welcomed students of different backgrounds. When she was a baby, Zimbabwe became an independent country from the United Kingdom. Her mother was a nurse and a midwife, helping people give birth.
Maggie moved to Scotland to study Zoology at the University of Edinburgh. She finished her first degree in 2001. Later, in 2003, she earned a Master's degree in Environmental Management from the University of Stirling. She also started a PhD in Geography at Edinburgh University, but she did not complete it. While she was a student, she was active in the Edinburgh University Students' Association.
Professional Career
Maggie Chapman has worked in different jobs related to her studies and interests. She worked in Environmental Management in western Scotland. She also worked as a community carer in Edinburgh, helping people in their homes.
Until 2015, she was a lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University. She taught subjects like cultural geography and environmental ethics. Environmental ethics is about how humans should treat the natural world. She still supports teaching through her work with the Educational Institute of Scotland.
In 2015, she started working at the Muslim Women's Resource Centre in Dundee.
Political Journey
Maggie Chapman began her political career as a councillor in Edinburgh. She was first elected in 2007 for the Leith Walk ward. She was one of the first three Green councillors in Edinburgh. She was re-elected in 2012.
As a councillor, she supported many important causes. These included:
- The living wage, which is a fair wage that allows people to afford basic needs.
- Participatory budgeting, where local people help decide how public money is spent.
- Better rights for people renting homes.
- More support for non-profit groups.
She also voted against selling off council services and cutting important services. In 2015, she decided to step down as a councillor to focus on becoming a Member of the Scottish Parliament.
In 2013, she became the female co-leader of the Scottish Greens party. She was re-elected to this role in 2016. She worked alongside Patrick Harvie, who was the male co-leader.
Maggie Chapman is known for her beliefs as a socialist, environmentalist, and feminist.
- A socialist believes in fairness and equality for everyone.
- An environmentalist cares deeply about protecting the natural world.
- A feminist believes in equal rights and opportunities for women.
In 2014, she was part of the Smith Commission. This group looked at giving more powers to the Scottish Parliament.
In 2019, she ran for the European Parliament election but was not elected. Later that year, she lost the election for co-leader of the Scottish Greens to Lorna Slater.
In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Maggie Chapman was elected as an MSP for North East Scotland. This was a big moment because she was the first Green MSP from that area since 2007. When she took her oath, she repeated her affirmation in Shona, a language spoken in Zimbabwe.
Rector of the University of Aberdeen
In 2014, students at the University of Aberdeen elected Maggie Chapman as their Rector. The Rector is a special person who represents the students and their interests. She officially started this role in March 2015.
She ran for a second term as Rector in 2017. However, that election was cancelled due to some issues with campaign posters. The election was re-run in 2018, and Maggie Chapman won again. Her term as Rector ended in March 2021.
Personal Life
Maggie Chapman's father, Neil Chapman, was a professional classical musician. She has a sister named Catherine. Maggie enjoys playing the fiddle, which is a type of violin. She also likes exploring different parts of Scotland.
