Maryland native Reginald F. Lewis (1942-1993) is the first African American to build a billion dollar corporation, TLC Beatrice International Holdings. A highly successful corporate lawyer and entrepreneur, Lewis is born and raised in Baltimore. With a keen interest in education, he creates a foundation in his name in 1987 and gives away $10 million before his untimely death at 50.
The foundation continues and, in 2002, provides $5 million to a developing museum that partners with the Maryland Department of Education. Today, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture is the largest of its kind on the East Coast.
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Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture
