Dr. NKrumah Lewis (submitted photo)
The Male Mentoring Program at Vance-Granville Community College will welcome a noted author, entrepreneur, social activist and educator to campus, where he will share his inspirational story. Dr. NKrumah D. Lewis will speak Friday, March 30 starting at 11 a.m. in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. The presentation is free and open to the public, in addition to VGCC students, faculty and staff.
A Durham native, Lewis is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Winston-Salem State University and the Minority Male Mentoring Program Evaluator for the University of North Carolina General Administration. Dr. Tolokun Omokunde, who recently became coordinator of VGCC’s Male Mentoring Program, said that Lewis’s remarks should be motivational not only for young men but for everyone. “Dr. Lewis grew up around violence and made very poor decisions as a young man, winding up in prison, but he completely turned his life around and today, he focuses on inspiring student success and preventing violence,” said Omokunde. “He often says that his goal is to ‘leave a legacy that refutes the notion of impossibility.’”
Lewis applied to college from behind bars and completed his undergraduate degree in sociology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in a period of two and a half years. He went on to earn a master’s in adult education at North Carolina A&T State University and a Ph.D. in sociology, concentrating in the areas of race and crime, from Virginia Tech. In addition to his academic and mentoring work, Lewis founded a 501(c)(3) organization, the Renaissance and Empowerment Project, Inc. in Greensboro, where he rehabilitated not only physically dilapidated houses, but the lives of 103 men that had previously been incarcerated or had gang affiliation. In doing so, he was recognized by Movers and Shakers for his entrepreneurial endeavors. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Simon Green Atkins Community Development Corporation in Winston-Salem. Most recently, he released his autobiographical sketch, entitled “Becoming A Butterfly: From Prison to Ph.D.”
The VGCC Male Mentoring Program is designed to assist male students in acquiring the confidence, resources and skills needed to succeed academically and socially at the college. The program is open to any male student who attends VGCC, but the emphasis is on minority males in particular. Participating students receive support and guidance as they work to develop their own abilities, set goals and progress toward those goals. Students also hear from guest speakers and take part in extracurricular activities promoting leadership and community service. For more information on the presentation by Dr. Lewis or on the male mentoring program, contact Dr. Tolokun Omokunde at (252) 738-3205.