For more than 20 years, Alva Lewis has been developing a passion for news and knowledge of current events concerning politics and migration.

Alva began her public affairs career on Capitol Hill, where she supervised an intern program for U.S. Senator Joseph Biden and drafted letters about immigration for U.S. Representative Romano Mazzoli. After Congressman Mazzoli's retirement, Alva worked with direct service organizations for immigrants and refugees to learn more about the political and socioeconomic conditions that forced the clients to leave their native countries.

Upon returning to her legislative roots, Alva lobbied state legislators to urge their support for earned income tax credit and welfare-to-work programs. In the field office at a Washington-based social justice organization, she established e-mail newsletters for activists and increased efforts to recruit members in areas where the organization’s presence was low.

Since relocating to Chicago, Alva has researched genealogies of U.S. migrants, particularly in regard to pioneer settlements in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. She is also the former Chicago Politics Examiner for Examiner.com.