Meet Eva Maria
Eva Maria Lewis is an award-winning social entrepreneur, impact strategist, wellness coach, and creative from the south side of Chicago. With more than 11 years of experience, she brings together systems-level thinking, community-rooted practice, and creative vision to turn bold ideas into meaningful change.
Grounded in her lineage, lived experience, and faith, Lewis believes everyone deserves the resources, relationships, and opportunities they need to feel safe, experience wellness, and build a life of dignity. Her approach to impact goes beyond meeting immediate needs to cultivate joy, strengthen relationships, and create the conditions for people and communities to thrive.
As Founder of Free Root Operation (FRO), Lewis has spent more than a decade building solutions at the intersection of community safety, wellness, and social change. Through her BLOOM Model approach, she has worked deeply with women survivors of violence and women navigating its lasting effects, creating spaces for healing, self-discovery, and leadership development. This work has supported women in unpacking their leadership potential, strengthening their relationships and families, and pursuing goals that once felt out of reach.
Under her leadership, FRO has raised more than $1.5 million for wellness resources for women and families impacted by gun violence, established a citywide network of more than 2,000 women, and opened a 3,500-plus-square-foot center for trauma-informed programming, counseling, and civic engagement.
Beyond her organizational leadership, Lewis uses storytelling, digital media, and creative expression to make social impact accessible, culturally resonant, and relevant to everyday life. She has cultivated a digital community of more than 32,000 followers across social media platforms, bringing conversations about wellness, community power, and social change to broader audiences. Her work translates complex ideas into experiences, messages, and strategies that connect with people.
Lewis’s thought leadership has reached millions through a TEDxTeen Talk, two appearances at the United Nations, and her representation of the United States at the Human Rights World Defenders Summit in Paris. Her work has been featured by Adobe, Teen Vogue, EBONY, Complex, and other leading platforms. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Local Leader, a Reebok Human Rights Award recipient, a VS PINK With Purpose honoree, and most recently, a 2026 Ebony Power 100 honoree.
Across her work, Lewis is committed to creating a world where safety, wellness, and opportunity are accessible to all, regardless of what people have experienced or where they come from.
A LEGACY IN THE MAKING
2016
Eva Maria founded what would go on to be Free Root Operation as a teenager in high school with a passion to serve and improve her community. Around this time she also co-organized a massive youth protest, with no arrests, in Chicago to honor the lives of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling who were victims of police brutality and advocate for safer communities.
2018
Using the tools learned as a Sociology major at the University of Pennsylvania, Eva Maria spearheaded the first Community Needs and Assets Assessment for South Shore, in which the results were published through Free Root Operation via a data booklet in 2021.
2020
At the height of the George Floyd uprising and a world-altering pandemaic, Eva Maria helped create the coalition On The Ground to meet the immediate needs of Chicagoans. This led her to creating the groundbreaking Chicago Food Pairing Program, feeding over 500 families living in food deserts.
2021
Eva Maria was recognized for her work to uphold human rights for all with the 2021 Reebok Human Rights Award, bolstering her ability to carry out and advance the work that she holds dearly.
Current
Eva Maria is preparing to release her first single as musician Maria Machete, reimagining what it truly means to be a changemaker in her life by centering creative expression and making a difference through art. She continues to pour into Black and Brown communities and build structures for a freer world.