Black History: First Black to Build a Billion Dollar Company

I read Reginald Lewis' biography (Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun?) my junior year in college (around the time that I was ready to drop out) and I was instantly inspired. Lewis was a very driven individual at a very young age with an incredible work ethic, that very same work ethic eventually led him to being one of the wealthiest African American's in American history.

Reginald F. Lewis (December 7, 1942 – January 19, 1993), was an American businessman, who was one of the most successful business leaders during the 1980s. He was the richest African American man in the 1980s. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he grew up in a middle class neighborhood. He won a football scholarship to Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), graduating with a degree in economics in 1965. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1968.
In 1992, Forbes magazine listed Lewis among the 400 richest Americans with a net worth estimated at $400 million. He also was the first African American to build a billion dollar company.

To read more about Reginald Lewis click here or here!

by @Jetsetting_Ju