Real Life Black American Heroes Do Exist

NEW YORK CITY – Black Billionaires and Black Billionaires in the Making gathered to celebrate the legacy and documentary premiere about the very first Black Billion Dollar Deal Maker at the Harvard Club in New York City on the evening of February 15th. At a high-powered, exclusive premiere that would rival the private screenings of Marvel’s Black Panther, the first black billionaire’s widow and First Lady of the evening, Loida Nicolas Lewis, paid homage to the billionaire black businessman, civil rights leader and philanthropist whose legendary lifestyle and achievements have now been brought to life in a brand new documentary titled PIONEERS: Reginald F. Lewis and the Making of a Billion Dollar Empire that airs on PBS.

Mrs. Lewis, always gracious and full of class, personally greeted each one of her 450 guests at the door. Financiers, media and political operatives, and entrepreneurs filed into the grand halls of the Harvard Club to shake hands, hob nob, and network in pomp, circumstance and style befitting of Mr. Lewis’ larger than life legacy. Matriarch Mrs. Carolyn Fugett, mother of Reginald F. Lewis, could be seen holding court, surrounded by Black Billionaires, including Robert Smith, and a sea of young members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. who looked as if they stepped out of a GQ magazine casting call in white suit jackets and silver ties. At one point, the Lewis-Fugett court was so massive that a line filed from the very entrance of the Harvard Club through the long Harvard Club hallway that there was cause for concern among the staff.

As the night continued, it was easy to see that the night was expertly peppered with influences of Reginald F. Lewis’ Billion-dollar lifestyle. The accoutrements were especially designed to host attendees including top finance and business executives, ambassadors and dignitaries, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. Guests were treated a premiere screening of the documentary and a Titan Power Panel that shared advice and memories about the first billion dollar deal. Panelist members included: Robert F. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners (largest contributor to the National Museum of African American History and Culture) ; Raymond J. McGuire, Global Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, Citigroup, Inc.; Dean C. Kehler, Trimaran Capital Partners (formerly Drexel Burnham Lambert); Cleveland A. Christophe, venture capitalist and former executive of the TLC Group; and Peter Offermann, former executive of Bankers Trust Company. The panel was moderated by award-winning broadcast journalist Nina Pineda of Eyewitness News, WABC-TV. Raymond McGuire called the night, “A masterful victory for Entrepreneurial Training”.

Mrs. Fugett recognized RFL’s immediate family, calling them to stage, Mrs. Lewis, his daughters Leslie Lewis, Producer, Director, Actress, and Christina Lewis Halpern, Founder All Star Code (provides young men of color tech education skills), and their respective family.

Mrs. Lewis made special mention, “Leading the charge to ensure the entire RFL Legacy branding process and the event’s details were executed to perfection was marketing Impresario LMarilyn Crawford, RFL Branding Specialist and President & CEO of Primetime POPS”. Additionally in attendance were: The Honorable David Dinkins, former Mayor of New York City, Rick C. Wade, US Chamber of Commerce, Michael Carter, Royal Bank of Canada, Ken Naz, Former President Eros Intl. NA, Bollywood Films, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District NY), Julieanna Richardson, Founder, Black History Makers, and the list goes on.

Governor Andrew Cuomo graciously sent a Proclamation, declaring Titan Reginald F. Lewis as a major contributor to the New York financial industry, as well as, recognizing his work as a philanthropist and leader. President Barack Obama (44th), Oprah, Mayor DeBlasio, Sean John aka P. Diddy, Van Jones, Don Lemon, April Ryan, Bakari Sellers, Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, Gayle King, Soledad Obrien, and many more sent well wishes. The night was made even more special by the young millennials who participated as RFL Scholars, RFL Ambassadors, the ladies dressed in red with Gold Laurel Wreaths. There was a fantastic exhibit area with a life-size portrait of Mr. Lewis surrounded by crimson and cream florals that was used for photo ops by invited guests and audience members all evening. The attendees were greeted by a candelabra and silver bowl that served as a unique memory collector for written thoughts by guests about Reginald f. Lewis and his legacy; the handwritten notes were then shared with family members.

In her speech, Loida Lewis thanked WNET President & CEO Neal Shapiro, and RFL Documentary Executive Producer and Director Geraldine Moriba for featuring Mr. Lewis first in their new PIONEERS documentary series. She also mentioned business tycoon Tarrus Richardson, who was inspired by Mr. Lewis’ story when he was 14 years old, and gave the largest contribution to make the documentary possible. To finish off the night “billionaire style” the pièce de résistance was revealed. The Reginald F. Lewis Family Crest, with TLC (his flagship international corporation) featured in its crown. The crest is both a symbol and an acknowledgement that above all Mr. Lewis was a great American citizen and inspiration to us all. The documentary aired last weekend on WLIW 21 and WNET 13, and will air this Sunday, February 24, 7:00pm on NJTV. Outside the US, it is now available for streaming online on www.thirteen.org/pioneers.

For more information, please visit www.ReginaldFLewis.com, or get updates from Facebook or Instagram via @RFLBillionDollarDeal.

PIONEERS: Reginald F. Lewis and the Making of a Billion Dollar Empire is now available for online streaming on www.thirteen.org.