About Us
SANDRA M. REED is a veteran teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Drama Education from Dillard University in Louisiana and has taken graduate courses at the University of Illinois, De Paul University and National College of Education.
Ms. Reed has trained in dance (ballet and jazz), and vocal music. As a member of Actor's Equity Union, she has performed in dance companies, plays and musicals throughout Illinois and Wisconsin. Sandra also hosted the cable show The Searchers to expose hidden talent in Chicago. Her first love has always been the arts, which she implemented into the classroom, creating an innovative yet critical pedagogy. She has exposed students to various media such as: Goodman Theatre, Chicago Humanities Festival, Multicultural Dane Center, the Art Institute, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera and the Museum of Contemporary Arts. Sandra Reed recently directed and choreographed the musical Carnival at Jones College Prep.
Ms. Reed served as the 46th Ward Democratic Committeeperson. She was one of the voices in government on the local, state and federal level. Seeing the lives of many, particularly the young, annihilated by gun violence, she served as a board member for Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.
Heeding the voices of children and parents, Sandra Reed founded the Myria Reed Foundation For Children With Special Needs in order to provide the necessary resources and support that will assist special needs children in finding their way in an already difficult world. In 2009, the foundation partnered with Uptown Baptist Church on a short-term mission trip to Nigeria and Ghana. The purpose of the trip was to give needed encouragement and supplies to women & children. The team visited orphanages and a woman medical center. This was an awesome, emotional, humble and blessed experience! Sandra wrote an article for UNITED NATIONS NEWSLETTER (UNA-USA Chicago Chapter 2009 newsletter). Still feeling a need to make a difference, on August 2012, Sandra went on another mission trip to Lusaka, Zambia and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, which was just as rewarding. Her travels are reflected in her writings, especially the culture, environment, and the people.
Sandra Reed loves writing, particularly to transform and inspire readers. After writing several screenplays, and attending seminars/workshops with Screenwriting Expo and Chicago Screenwriters Network, she decided to take on a different genre and begin working on a novel. She joined Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and various social media/blog groups to network, explore, learn and refine her writing skills. Presently, Sandra is writing commentaries for Ezine Articles. She is very passionate about writing and exposing the realities of race issues. She can sometimes be blunt but in a healing way. Her goal is to use her writings, not only to identify problems, but to promote solutions.
