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we're Transforming Chicago and communities impacted by gun violence.
Our Mission
Free Root Operation addresses the root causes of gun violence through wellness programming, cultural activations, and a method of critical care, which are substantiated by research centering community wisdom. We take an innovative approach that serves as the nexus between championing Black women and their families and preventative measures of poverty-induced gun violence that demands integration into culture. Our operation is to restore communities impacted by poverty-induced gun violence to safe, abundant, and liberated sites of Oasis.
Our Team
Centering the Agency and Power of Black Single Moms and Women
Founder & Executive Director
Eva Maria Lewis
An award-winning advocate for Black women, single mothers, and communities impacted by poverty-induced gun violence, Eva Maria’s work is the work of the machete. As she cuts down oppressive structures guided by the power of this tool, she hands it to others to do the same. This philosophy is channeled into her role as Executive Director where she empowers the FRO team, our BLOOM Program, and communities around the country to unleash their power to create change. Learn more and connect with her here.
Raised by: A Black single mom
Hometown: Chicago, by way of South Shore & Woodlawn
Marketing and Media Strategy Coordinator
Arianne Elena Payne
An award-winning writer, Arianne's work strives to take Black people and their histories across space and time seriously. As our Marketing and Media Strategy Coordinator, Arianne acts as the steward of FRO's brand and leader of outbound communications to bring awareness to our operation. She works closely with our Executive Director and the BLOOM Program participants to develop and expand the narrative behind the innovative work FRO is doing to address gun violence. She also offers operational support as needed.
Raised by: A Black single mom
Hometown: Chicago
Our Values
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Faithful
We believe the liberatory work we pursue is of service to a higher power. We recognize hope as an ancestral cornerstone that has substantiated our lineage. We believe in our people, which is why we remain committed to the work.
disruptive
We are unafraid to challenge barriers that inhibit our communities.
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innovative
We create new systems, structures, and nettings to sustain care for our communities. There is no precedent to our liberation.
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fiery
We are resilient in the face of adversity. We fight back.
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rooted
We are grounded in the unique needs, histories, and futures of those we serve. These roots are the lens through which we work, wield power, and create lasting change.
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joyful
We believe our work necessitates joy to fuel ourselves and each other as both community members and workers. Without joy, there is no life behind the liberation we work toward.
Our Specialized Approach
Critical Care
We provide deep and holistic care to our constituents through transformative healing, small group service, intentional relationship building with every constituent, and self-assessed, assets-based, impact measurement.
Spiritual-Cultural Practice
In alignment with our Faithful value, we create space for cultural practices that uplift the spirit such as prayer, song, and movement. Our approach to harm reduction and healing includes both self-guided and collectively cultivated spiritual care.
human rights informed
We operate with the understanding that Life, Freedom, Personhood, Equity, Freedom of Movement, Access to Community, Right to Assemble, Economic Agency, Rest, Leisure, Shelter, Food, Clothing, Healthcare, Support for Women and Children, and Education are HUMAN RIGHTS per the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948. We understand that our people must have these rights to thrive—we pursue the realization of these rights in our communities through our advocacy and programming.
Social Innovation
We know poverty-induced gun violence stems from divestment in disenfranchised communities through generational communal wisdom. We hold this truth as an invitation to architect social innovations that better serve our communities and challenge preconceived notions existing within the movement to end gun violence and mass media.
hood research (aka research on the root causes of gun violence)
We conduct qualitative and quantitative research depicting the state of the communities we serve as told by community members. We work with our constituents to collect data showing the relationship between seemingly dissonant factors affecting disenfranchised communities and the gun violence epidemic. In conducting this research, we equip our community and other changemakers to garner support and resources to pursue efforts toward justice and community wellness beyond our immediate geography. People know what they need, we are all tasked to listen.
assets-based
We engage our community from a perspective centering community strengths over struggles. We exercise compassion for our constituents and support them in securing opportunities that will allow their unique gifts and assets to shine.
culturally aligned
We seek to embed our work into the existing culture that unites, defines, and develops our broader community.
Legacy Projects
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