Robert Lewis Jr. will never forget Boston’s desegregation busing crisis in the 1970s – an intensely volatile period during which his home was firebombed.
In this episode of the PNC C-Speak podcast, Lewis, now Nicholas President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston and a longtime community leader, reveals how the unrest became the genesis for his purpose. Lewis, who was 16 when his East Boston home was targeted, vowed “to do work that's about bringing people together, about bringing communities together."
A member of the Boys & Girls Clubs during his childhood, Lewis now helms an organization with eight locations, whose future, he says, is “around academics, workforce readiness, and health and wellness.
“We want the Boys & Girls Clubs to be the place that our teens are excited about,” he says.
Listen to the episode to hear more from Lewis on:
- What he does when he’s not working (9:16)
- “Passion points” providing access to opportunities for young people (20:07)
- His life-threatening battle with Covid (21:37)
- What’s on his bucket list (31:37)
Powered by PNC Bank.
Download a transcript of the podcast.
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