HistoryMakers Visit the Ron Clark Academy

On September 23, 2011, the HistoryMakers partnered with the Ron Clark Academy for a unique historical experience. The HistoryMakers is a 501(3) c nonprofit dedicated to recording and preserving the personal histories of well-known and unsung African Americans. Currently in its second year of operation, HistoryMakers pair schools around the country with accomplished minority leaders to discuss the historical progress of African Americans.

Leading up to this event, RCA students were excited to learn about our HistoryMaker guest speaker, C. Willard “Chuck” Lewis. Mr. Lewis is a true leader in the Atlanta community -- he is currently the co-founder of Citizens Trust Bank and serves in numerous board and leadership roles around the city of Atlanta.          

Mr. Lewis eloquently addressed the entire student body with a motivational lecture on leadership and becoming an entrepreneur. He left the students with worldly advice on how to achieve their dreams and be successful in their future endeavors.

“Outside of those doors, life is a like a math problem. To be a good leader, you have to figure out the right thing to do, go for it, and be committed to the result,” he advised.

The students and staff were so intrigued by the speaker’s real-world lessons on what it takes to be successful. Imani, a RCA 8^th grade student asked, “What is the hardest part of being an entrepreneur?” To which Mr. Lewis replied, “Getting others to get onboard with your idea and patience for the entire process”.

Mr. Lewis’ speech connecting lessons learned from African American history to his current success is something RCA students will be able to carry with them wherever they go in life. To date, HistoryMakers has interviewed over 2,000 HistoryMakers, with the goal of creating an archive of 5,000 interviews (30,000 hours) for the establishment of a one-of-a-kind digital archive and priceless educational resources for all young people. For more information about HistoryMakers visit the website at www.historymakers.com.