Closing the Racial Wealth Gap
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Leslie Lewis greeting dinner guests on a balmy summer night in the Hamptons
The late Harvard lawyer and pioneering entrepreneur Reginald F. Lewis, husband of Filipino lawyer and philanthropist Loida Nicolas, had been one of the top African American businessmen in his day, who did the first Black billion-dollar deal. Pulling himself up by his bootstraps to achieve billionaire status, he wrote a book, Why Should White Guys Have all the Fun? to motivate other African Americans to work hard to achieve their highest goals and dreams.
Loida Nicolas-Lewis has also vigorously promoted Filipino causes in education, culture, and international representation. Projects that she has co-sponsored have included the Philippine Gold Exhibit at the Asia Society; the musical Noli Me Tangere in New York and Manila, as well as Filipino film showings and various art exhibits at the Philippine Center in New York. The Lewis College in Sorsogon City (offering K-12 and TESDA-approved courses) is a living tribute to her late husband [N1] whose motto was “Keep going no matter what.” She also makes sure her own grandchildren are aware of their Filipino heritage.
Loida Nicolas-Lewis (center) and family welcoming guests at dinner
The premature demise of Reginald on January 19, 1993, left the unfinished task of securing his legacy in the 21st century to his children, Leslie and Christina, his widow Loida and the Fugett-Lewis family.. The RFL Foundation has, in fact, supported 15 Black-founded organizations for many years, such as the All Star Code, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Barack Obama Foundation, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. The All Star Code in particular developed a scholar services program that has prepared over 1,000 young people nationwide for careers in tech and tech-adjacent industries.
A vital link has also been added with the Giving Gap organization, headed by CEO Aisha Alexander-Young, whose aim is to make it easy to find and give to Black-funded organizations, which are systematically underfunded despite being a critical piece of the American social fabric. This is done, among other things, by providing a comprehensive database of 900 Black-founded organizations to which funds and donations could be channeled. Giving Gap urges 1 million people to collectively donate $1 billion to Black-founded organizations over the next ten years.
The event at the Lewis residence in East Hampton handed out to guests a curated directory of 100 largest Black-funded charities as a handy guide to further donations. Donors and supporters of the program were acknowledged while the youngest members of the Lewis family led a traditional prayer and blessing for the meal.
Making guests aware of causes for giving
Diva Queen Esther, accompanied by Sharp Radway, interpreted the trail-blazing songs of Billie Holiday. While recognized today through the lens of the movie, Lady Sings the Blues with gardenias in her hair, Holiday was well known for her song, “Bitter Fruit,” which spoke openly about lynching.
Queen Esther and Sharp Radway performing at the event
It is not unusual for Filipino Americans to also be engaged in such a worthy social cause as “closing the racial wealth gap.” Filipino and African American struggles for racial equality have coincided at points in the past, as when an African American soldier defected to the Philippine side during the Philippine-American war in 1899, or when the soprano Marian Anderson performed in 1950s Manila.
A career diplomat of 35 years, Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. served as Philippine Ambassador to South Africa (2003-2009) and Italy (2011-2014), his last posting before he retired. He is now engaged in writing, traveling and is dedicated to cultural heritage projects.
More articles by Ambassador Virgilio Reyes, Jr.
