Joyce Ann Chapman was a longtime Far South Side organizer who spent decades advocating for equitable access to education.
She organized summer peace rallies, food drives and back-to-school events. She served on the Chicago Board of Education and as chair of the Chicago Public Schools Far South Community Action Council.
She founded the Far South Chicago Coalition and Pullman Community Development Corp. Ms. Chapman was also the vice chair of the Neighborhood Housing Services Board and president of the Gately Park Advisory Council. Ms. Chapman was a beat facilitator in the Chicago Police Department’s Calumet District.
“Her civic leadership in these volunteer roles inspired many to speak up and improve our system, especially for our most vulnerable students,” Pedro Martinez, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, said in a statement.
Ms. Chapman, who dealt with hypertension, died in her sleep on Sept. 27. She was 67.
“Her words she lived by were to touch the humanity of people and to meet them where they’re at. That was her goal, and what she lived for every day was her community and her family,” said Amina Brooks, one of her daughters.
Ms. Chapman was born in February 1956 in Tokyo to Charles and Kuniko Nishimoto Chapman. Her father served in the U.S. Army and her family lived all over when she was young, including Germany, France and Kentucky.
Her family settled in Chicago in 1968 shortly after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. They were the first Black family on their block of East 104th Place in the Pullman neighborhood, which was mainly white at the time.
Her father’s military service and her mom’s Buddhist practices shaped Ms. Chapman and engrained the values of service and building community in her from a young age, Amina Brooks said.
Ms. Chapman, a single mom, passed on her dedication to community service to her three daughters, Amina, Umi and Ashanti Brooks. They remember their mom bringing them to community meetings and marches throughout their childhoods.
“My mom made it clear to us how dedicated she was to her community and throughout our lives. We were just immersed in it,” Amina Brooks said.
Amina Brooks worked with her mom at the Far South Chicago Coalition. The organization has been developing a quality of life plan for the Far South Side with LISC Chicago.
“My mom would say to us, ‘Community work may not financially pay you what you feel like you should be paid, but it pays your soul,’” Umi Brooks said.
Her mother’s appointment to the Chicago Board of Education in 2022 was a momentous day for her, Amina Brooks said. Ms. Chapman spent years coming before the board to advocate for better education policies.
“To sit on the other side of the podium, she knew she had a chance to make a difference. And she was proud to be there,” Amina Brooks said.
Though she worked on different political campaigns and assisted local and state elected officials over the years, Ms. Chapman never considered running for public office, Ashanti Brooks said.
“She would say, ‘That’s not for me. The power is behind the seat, not in the seat,’” Ashanti Brooks said. “And that spoke so loudly for me.”
Her daughters have always been aware of the reverence people have for their mom. They described her as a benevolent “Godfather” — people would line up to chat with her or seek her guidance after any event or meeting she attended.
Her three daughters remember her as a devoted mom and a loving grandmother to her eight grandchildren. She was one of six siblings and had nine nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held for Ms. Chapman on Oct. 14 at Chicago State University. Visitation and services will begin at noon.
“Joyce gave to everyone and every endeavor with her whole heart. Rest in power, dear friend,” former Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote on social media.
Lightfoot appointed Ms. Chapman to the Board of Education in 2022. She left the board earlier this year after Brandon Johnson was elected mayor.
“Chicago will miss her fighting spirit and her public service,” Johnson said in a statement.
Her daughters, who Ms. Chapman called her three pillars, plan to carry on their mom’s storied legacy. Her nickname for them came about when someone told Ms. Chapman that she was a pillar of the community. To which she responded, “My pillars are my girls.”
“People often say to us, ‘You’re Joyce Chapman’s girls.’ And friends will ask if we get tired of being called Joyce’s girls. And I say, ‘No, it is such an honor,’” Umi Brooks said.
“We are her living, breathing legacy. She was such a big deal. And there is no one like her.”
