Samaiya Chevon Ewing

She remained in Chicago until the age of 13 when her family moved to Arizona. At the age of 18 she returned to Chicago. It was then that she began college at Harold Washington College. It was during this time she fell in love with performance poetry. Her journey in education started in the fall of 2002 when she became a poetry instructor for the Chicago Humanities Festival, where she had the opportunity to bring poetry and art into the lives of CPS students from all over the city. This work changed her life trajectory and fueled her passion for a career in education.

After completing her undergraduate degree in Philosophy at Smith College, Samaiya joined Teach for America and carried that passion back home to Chicago where she taught in a variety of schools. Spending part of her teaching career working at an independent school dedicated to social justice opened up unique opportunities for community collaboration. She served on the Armstrong elementary LSC, resigning her post to continue her education in the Masters program at Harvard University. While she was at Harvard, she began exploring the opportunities provided by public Montessori programs, which served to underscore her belief in the immense value that public Montessori schools bring. Her experiences in Cambridge and at two public Montessori schools in Chicago focused her passion on bringing progressive education to communities that normally do not receive it.

Samaiya is survived by: her two partners, Davin Potvin and Phillip Howell; her Great Grandmother Freddie Woods; her mother Monica Ball; three sisters Sasha, Saniqua, and Shontel Dixon; and a niece and nephew (whom she shamelessly showered with gifts) Charielle and Charlie Castillo. She is further survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of the following organizations and please include Samaiya’s name in the donation:

Assata’s Daughters

http://www.assatasdaughters.org/supportus/

Howard Brown

https://howardbrown.networkforgood.com/