Reginald Lewis' Affect on My Life and Career

-- By PierceHeard - 15 Apr 2024

Overview

Reginald F. Lewis was a revolutionary. He was the first African American to build a billion dollar company, and he paved a path for many more behind him. Witnessing the heights Lewis was able to reach inspired a generation of Black men and women to bet on themselves and take risks to become today's business leaders. While the job is far from over, Lewis' legacy is far reaching and dramatically pushed the fight for equal representation in the world's elite in the right direction.

African American Success Before Reginald Lewis

Before Reginald Lewis, Black people in America often saw two paths to modern day wealth; they could either be an athlete, or an entertainer. All of the idols that the Black youth looked to for guidance were seemingly extraordinarily gifted and had some special "it" factor that made them famous. Of course these Black pioneers should not be brushed off; they made a huge contribution to society and had a positive impact on the Black community for years. The athletes inspired the youth to practice their sport abilities and become leaders of the field. The entertainers sprouted in the youth a desire to create masterpieces and contributed to some of the most important artistic works the world has ever seen. But without someone in the commercial sphere to inspire young Black kids, and show them that they can create wealth for themselves and their families while making a meaningful change, the idea simply would not blossom. This is the hole Reginald Lewis so effortlessly filled.

Reginald Lewis' Success

Reginald Lewis was a hard worker his whole life. In fact, his hard work and dedication led him down a path to gain admission to one of the top law schools in the world without even applying! From law school, he took the path that so many others do when exiting a great school with a crushing amount of debt; he entered private practice with one of the largest law firms on Wall Street. However, Lewis quickly found out that this was not fulfilling enough for him. After only two years with the firm, Lewis hung his own shingle and became the first Black owned law firm on Wall Street. He practiced for 15 years at his own firm specializing in corporate work before taking his next leap of faith. After acquiring years of business acumen and realizing that he was not getting a large enough piece of the pie for all of his work he decided to leave the law and create his own private equity firm. In four short years after taking the risk to start his own shop, he acquired a business valued at $985 million. This propelled Lewis to become one of the most dominant people in America's financial capital. With his newfound wealth and power he realized he was in a position where he could make a meaningful impact on the world. He established a foundation in his name that devoted money to universities for scholarships and research, to support an African-American culture museum, and he used his legal expertise to be a council to New York's Commission for Racial Justice.

Reginald Lewis' Effect On Me

Learning of the heights Lewis was able to reach changed my entire perception of what a fulfilling life and career could look like for me. Seeing a Black man rise to the upper echelons of society and pulling up a seat at the table with the world's elite to ensure that his voice and the voice of his community was heard ignited a fire within me. I originally came to law school hoping to pursue a career of litigation at a top ranked firm and hopefully be able to invoke some progress in the world by representing my community on pro bono matters when I could find the time. After learning from Lewis' path as well as from the teachings from my Professor at law school, I now know this simply would not be enough for me. After all, "An Intellect great enough to win the prize needs other food besides success" (find what reading this quote was from). I see now that I can aim for much higher; I can devote my career to something that will actually lead to meaningful change while giving me a sense of fulfillment in my work.

My Path Forward

I see my career looking very similar to my Lewis' and I would be grateful to be even a sliver as successful as he was. I now plan to do transactional work at a large firm straight out of law school to hopefully get some of the "experience" that they so proudly claim to provide. But I no longer plan to stay too long. I want to hang my own shingle and be my own boss and pursue matters that interest me. I now want to wake up and do whatever it is that I want to do; and never have to say or do anything unless it aligns with my beliefs and my values.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Reginald Lewis showed me that I can be whoever I want to be in this world. He passed on the torch to the next generation of Black people and taught us to become our own bosses, to become the next titans of industry, and when we reach these mountaintops to ensure that we leave a meaningful impact for those that are next to come. He instilled in me the desire to ensure that the system hears our voice, and to strive to level the playing field by giving us a seat at the table. Luckily, this flame has been fanned by the teachings of a cherished Professor as well. With role models such as these, that teach me to not settle for the low hanging fruit, I have regained the confidence to believe that I can reach any peak I choose to climb.

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