A Birmingham civil rights icon and WWII veteran turns 100

as best as we can tell you were raised by your grandma. I like reading about your first business experience. I mean, your grandma made you guys work even a 10 years old, I would read about my grandmother in north for Alabama. Uh, we it was five months. We were 2nd. 3rd cousin No can know what my grandmother and care We were known as the drop off the house every time didn’t have no mother, Father. My my grandmother took. But you had a policy iwas that you had to work every day and bring something home. I was the oldest, so I had held the money and way. Made sure that we attempted to make a dollar Internet. That was that was that was a goal. And we didn’t We didn’t get everyday way. You made something every day, Andi. That’s how we you bought books and went to school a bone everything. And my grandmother one day person gave me a sack of flour and I carried home. My grandmother asked when I get it from and I told him and gave it to him. She made me take it back. Yeah, your family would wouldn’t take anything free. Everything that we received, you hear to come home and tell your grandma My grandmother You work for you started the Birmingham Times and, I believe 1964 which would be coincident with the Civil Rights Act. Why did you feel the need to start a newspaper which continued to thrive and still does There Would who? Three, uh, black newspapers in the city. Birmingham were Birmingham. You’re another one I can’t recall. Uh, they they reported to new a strict claim from, uh, black perspective. I just thought that was wrong. I thought that if you if you had a purpose of a black newspaper, it is the increase. Yeah, you’re standing in the in the community. So in increase your income, uh, in the community and to record black history it from a positive standpoint. Uh, no, no reflection on the other annoucement. Uh, they had a philosophy on which way they want to know. And I had one idea is which way that that I wanted I wanted to take, uh, it’s not what was either. I didn’t have my I didn’t have no money. So, uh, you know, I had to go sell, sell, and then paper, paper, paper printing of the newspaper. Dr. Lewis, what are you most proud of with that? The newspaper in particular, perhaps in connection with the civil rights movement. I’m proud of the fact that it lasted the Children to report it. Uh, you know it. You have tow have No, no. We had a couple of Post Herald from Birmingham News. Uh, they wrote about black people, and only after they shot somebody. What? Whatever it was came up. It was all America. And that’s what they brought. So I’m proud of the fact that way told the story about and and a of a positive and a positive way. It doesn’t mean we didn’t report the of a new way reported lose big news. So and so went off to college. You know, that was a big deal during the time I came along when somebody neighborhood left Tuscaloosa and went to college, and I mean left Birmingham and went, went, went to college or someone’s found small business and all that that was huge. News for black people was never important. So I’m proud. I’m proud of the fact that on we reported that and I’m more proud of the fact and that I had I had sense enough to get rid of it. Uh, time the publication change. You know, you’re in this bed and you know that if you don’t change with time, it’s just so exciting to go down memory lane with somebody whose life has been so full 17 businesses that you owned at one point or another and pretty much everything you touched. You had, like, the mightiest touch. One of the businesses, I think, had a recording studio at one point. And then I really do want to talk about being among the first, if not the first black man to own a public relations firm. I’m with the Mines College. I was high school dropout. Uh, in my took man were without showing that I had a high school degree with that ever did that incident, like going back and getting my high school degree one today? Uh, look, man and I had a professor and finish you universe of Indiana and his major waas was market. So I was fortunate enough to get in, get in his class and he assigned yeah, four or five students win by four or five black businesses at that time, and he assigned one of the students to help. No, those black businesses see what what? What do they need? And that could be helpful to make him move forward from a financial standpoint. And and that was a lady and Birmingham who made candy in the house and sold them during the door. I was I was assigned by my professor to help her, and I and I discovered during that time you’re that if she didn’t have, she wasn’t getting out of a story. She was selling candy and she could sell more candy if she if she could tell somebody next door, tell so on. So tell So on. So on tells, E. Came up with the idea that and then that I needed a firm and some people go out and help me do that. That’s how my marketing firm and it came along and and it still survived doing the same thing. I mean, this system has changed, but the way you presented as has never will change. So that’s how I came here into the marking business. Then, after I did so well But can the company in the latest sold candy store door to door and I went, I went to hell Winn Dixie and they and they put they put it in that store. Uh, she went from making my and now the week, the two or 300 in my birds and the fact that she was in, in in the store and and I’ve been a little program around that pass out some information. People came in the store about about the candidate and then the Coca Cola Cup. Of that, I heard about it, and I I sit down and talk with them on the first plane is saying, Well, black people, they’re not back focal. I said, The reason why people buy Coke. You have not asked from the Bykota. They know mechanism. You had no black employees, you know, advertising program, no marketing program. Thio black community and clean by by much. And I say HMAS white people, you have to tell them your product is it’s better than since So and so and so So they I have my first job. The economic boycott. The Rosa Parks protest was a year after you were already beginning a business life representing black people. You were already plugged into the notion that there just wasn’t any representation of black people in business. And that had to change. Yeah. And why? And no, it was it wasn’t it one? Yeah, that was That was Brian bit that were black businesses. And I got other the impression that they needed to expand. They need to open up different types of black business, and and they need to have black business that served not only black people, but to serve people. You need that. You need a business that even if you’re black, you need a business there. White people, more white people are black. So that was my in. My instructor told me one day, in fact, and then I was going to be successful because I didn’t have sense. Nothing. No, what I couldn’t do. You were actually in the battalion at some point, serving under patent. You have any recollection of that that you can share about him? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I had I had, uh when you I went I went into the service volunteer lighting by may Put it up a t that time if you were black, you don’t have to show no paper. That’s how he wanted to. Uh, and And I went in. I was drafted it into a black one. 83rd Engineers Combat Battalion enjoys playing director. E was E. I was the only person in there from the South. They made up their mind. They were gonna draft some, uh, meet intelligent black people. A white people came in and we accepted me. Came from the north, and there was college. Uh, all I’m finished coming it with me. I don’t know how well, I I got lost and they put me wrong, Wrong, wrong. All right. But it’s amazing. I met. I met Patton Personally. I don’t know. I don’t know who I didn’t know who it waas until I talked to him. About about about five minutes. He called everybody boy. Eso You didn’t take that as a personal racist attack that he just called everybody boy. Huh? Hey, have unusual, unusual boys. Uh, I don’t know. I wanted I talked to him about 15 minutes. I wanted to talk. I could have talked to him for 25. I could talk to you today. Yeah, Yeah. Kind of gravelly kind of voice. Yeah, old boys e Hey told me when I’m with, I was talking to one of my term. I hear he’s a boy. Look at me when I’m talking. And from that day on, everybody I talked. I’m looking at, uh and I think I would have with him very long, but I Sure I should have wanted I should have wanted to be And I wanna e didn’t get, you know, a to that time we wouldn’t walk around with a camera. You know, uh, people I think will be very surprised when they read your book that you’re a lifelong friend of George Corley Wallace, a man who famously said segregation now and segregation forever and was really considered a virulent racist in his time. And yet you found common ground with him, and he really came to admire you. It zone. Unbelievable Alabama story, and I’d love you to tell it. All right. I e am I’m you know, I’m not gonna believe this. I just accidentally picked up. I wrote about Governor last night. What? When I when I was in my my college e was in charge of student publication and the height of my ambition was interviewed. Joint water. Uh, and one day I call him a couple times, couldn’t get him. One day I call, he answered the phone and I told him who I watch and I want to interview you. Come over. Can you come over Thursday? Nine clouds. Yes, sir. I’m late at nine o’clock on Thursday and I had about 20 questions I wanna ask him. And the first one Waas Yeah, Governor, are you Are you a race? And he said yes in this shop. What? What is then what? And that you’re not born or race. And you You talked to anyone. My, you, Pam, By surrounds. And my grandfather was a racist. Dan was a racer. I talked. I would talk to me a racist, But I’m not a problem. And that impressive. I’m not going down. One and my Children is not gonna not talk to me. A racist? Yeah, I’m the only government so far. The Children go to public school and you were right on way. We’re my wife. You know what? Not to serve. I think at his pleasure in a couple of capacities, right Did he appoint you president of of Lawson or something? I help me with that. I worked for him for us. I’m a here here, You know the department transportation? Yeah, I pointed him. Served work for three or four years in that in that position, uh, lost on state position came open. I had a tough time. I think I had finished, finished college and finish college. I had one degree, no degree, administration and college. And while while is appointed point, we pray President loss of state. And someone walked up to him and asked him said e don’t know what? Yeah, I said what? That boy’s qualified as you pointed a, but yeah, well qualified. I am. And you are the president. So from that from that point E proceeded to pursue my education level while I was lost the state. I got a PhD and all that because of because of joint while he he he believed in me. And he came to me one day that I gotta get you President University, Alabama. That’s a government. You might ask a lot of influence in the state, But you don’t have that much. You know, that’s how? Yeah, he you one of my a favorite person. He did try to reconcile his best he could at the end of his life, Uh, last couple of times and he ran. He will. He will endorse my Arthur short in and in the black and the black and the black community. Yeah. So yeah. And he had, uh, e want to talk to you about a couple of other people to We’re gonna get to your wife because how important she was in your life. Um, but also, as we look at another mayor’s race coming up here in Birmingham, it is now clear that neither Mayor Woodfin is gonna be reelected or another black person is going to take his place. Perhaps former Mayor Bell. We have four people in the race now, but I want you to talk specifically about the first black mayor in this city who you knew very, very well. I’d like to just talk about Richard Arrington on, and, you know, he’s still a vital member of our community as you are, but I want you to talk in terms of who he who he was and what he meant to this city on And your relationship with him? We We finished. I was Yeah. Hey, my five times smarter than, uh, finished with when he was sauce. He was soft spoken, never raised his voice and never got a disagreeable men one when explaining his views. So we got ready. And Iran, he he came to me and and I told you can’t win. No race usedto What do you say that? Just so you don’t know how to curse Nobody. I’ll kick No buts and all that. You can’t win on race unless you do that. And he convinced me that he could. And I have his campaign. I have his campaign. And from the first day and every time we have Moran, I have his campaign for life. He he will be made more contributions to the city of Birmingham than anyone I could think of black and white. He was he was committed. He would dedicate it. He not only committed white people, I mean right. You committed the white people. He could eat the man to this set and he put he brought life. Uh, seriously, He and you are one of the most important. He is totally, completely honest and true. You will never You will never hear of anything. Then he believes regard to say Regardless, I It was amazing. He mentioned him. I I talked to him. Uh, not for less, e, I gotta tell you that. Yeah. Yeah. When? When I finished my it was seven people in my class. Magna. Cool Lord, I don’t look at me like that. I wouldn’t want a zoo type of class. The mines Turnout. Seven people minus too long. E just didn’t get out. E. And And the most important thing I finished with great people and each one off have made I every way. Didn’t have me to remind they have a lot of students. And the class I finished. And they had seven. And and seven students. Six of magnet from all this Jessi news. Now, Helen, your wife, who I think died maybe about five years ago. Uh, sadly, both of your boys air gone. Uh, I guess that’s one of the things my parents say about living into their nineties that you know, you you sometimes see things you wish you hadn’t. But you talk about how particularly when you lost your wife. You really lost your bearings for a while. Um, I want you to inspire other people, as you have all your life when you suffered terrible losses. Um, you and Joe Biden, the president have lost, uh, sons. Um, you lost your wife. Um, how is it that you, soldier on How is it that you continue to play golf every day that you I see the clubs behind you that you continue to inspire the businesses like the agency that you’re still a part of. How do you do that, Dr. Lewis? Uh uh. You gotta look back and and say yes what I did. And he is what I did because of my wife and because off my to to, uh, my wife was school teas. Uh, when When I met my wife, I was I asked him to drop. Uh, g she help me talking about Reid. When you finished sixth grades where they will celebrate whatever I finished, I couldn’t I couldn’t read it. Eso Every night when I came home, e I had my three or four jobs, and when I came home, one of the senior sitting down through the book out all right. And it taught me. Yeah. And then help me getting all the schools. I have five degrees and and she is one to help in my turn. My Tucson everybody loved. I mean, they made this. Yeah, super feet And never been in no trouble. No easy. You know that. And his love the mother and you did well and I do good, because whatever I do every day, they make it different. I say I’m doing because my wife would like that. Uh huh. Well, well, I also read in this article. I think in in the Birmingham Times You talked about a time when you really thought you could measure your life by how much money you made and you made plenty of it. And then I guess you had some kind of epiphany that that wasn’t the way you were going to measure your life. When all was said and done, you didn’t want to be remembered for how much money you make. There are a lot of millionaires and billionaires out there. Uh what conclusion did you reach, Dr Lewis? I reached conclusion that you re that you’re living you’re wrong. Lifestyle when you live about you set your goal and how much money I’m gonna make And that’s how I’m gonna be right now. Yeah, you go Should be How many people can you help? There’s less forcing when you are. Where’s my goal? Yeah, I’m I don’t know. I’m deeply into politics and the reason is that black people in Birmingham has not participated in the American dream and achieving the American dream. You have a story to tell. That’s in the Black Times. I’m trying to find it here, but I guess it was one of your first jobs was at a rubber plant and you didn’t like the way black folks were treated. And they I worked with me up good ribs. They had separately have separately separate pay, separate works, everything. And I thought that was bad. So I started. I started a movement. Yeah, to help That’s this way. And then and then help right now. One thing about it, uh, when when I, the black people left me out to dry, I did all that. I’ll never work to help him, and they fired me and nobody and nobody showed up to protect. The next day, I was shocked, but I can understand that live a and live A with that was that was on display

A Birmingham civil rights icon and WWII veteran turns 100

Updated: 9:42 PM EST Jan 3, 2025

One of Birmingham, Alabama’s renowned entrepreneurs and civil rights icons turned 100 Friday.Video above: Full interview with Dr. Jesse Lewis from 2021Dr. Jesse Lewis served under General George Patton in World War II.He dropped out of high school, but Miles College accepted him without a diploma and went on to earn five different degrees.He told Birmingham sister station WVTM in a past interview that he founded “The Birmingham Times” in the same year as the Civil Rights Act as a way to “to record Black history from a positive standpoint.” Under his leadership, the paper grew into a centerpiece of Birmingham.During his time as a journalist, he interviewed former Alabama Gov. George Wallace.His first question was, “Governor, are you racist?””He said, ‘yeah,’ and that answer shocked me,” Lewis said in the previous interview.Wallace would go on to tell him that he wasn’t born a racist, but that he wasn’t going to die one.Video below: Dr. Jesse Lewis talks relationship with former Alabama Gov. George Wallace

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

One of Birmingham, Alabama’s renowned entrepreneurs and civil rights icons turned 100 Friday.

Video above: Full interview with Dr. Jesse Lewis from 2021

Dr. Jesse Lewis served under General George Patton in World War II.

He dropped out of high school, but Miles College accepted him without a diploma and went on to earn five different degrees.

He told Birmingham sister station WVTM in a past interview that he founded “The Birmingham Times” in the same year as the Civil Rights Act as a way to “to record Black history from a positive standpoint.”

Under his leadership, the paper grew into a centerpiece of Birmingham.

During his time as a journalist, he interviewed former Alabama Gov. George Wallace.

His first question was, “Governor, are you racist?”

“He said, ‘yeah,’ and that answer shocked me,” Lewis said in the previous interview.

Wallace would go on to tell him that he wasn’t born a racist, but that he wasn’t going to die one.

Video below: Dr. Jesse Lewis talks relationship with former Alabama Gov. George Wallace