Martha S. Lewis
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Martha S. Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 24, 1924 Kensett, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | July 2, 2007 (aged 83) Albany, New York, U.S. |
| Education | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Atlanta University (MSW) Harvard University |
| Occupations | Government official, social worker |
Martha S. Lewis (February 24, 1924, in Kensett, Arkansas – July 2, 2007, in Albany, New York) was an American government official and social worker. She had a long career as a ground-breaking social worker in the metropolitan New York City area and elsewhere. In the 1970s, she was the highest ranking African-American official in any state government, as a deputy commissioner for the Department of Social Services in the New York State government.[1][2] She was also a pioneer in the civil rights movement.
Lewis received a bachelor's degree in social sciences from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff[3] in 1944.[2] She next earned her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Atlanta University School of Social Work [3] in 1947.[2] She also briefly attended the Harvard University's School of Government.[3]
Civil rights activism and social work
Lewis began her social work career by working in the 1950s with youth in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and New York City.[2][3] As an expert on juvenile delinquency and deviance, she wrote the seminal 1961 report The Girl Delinquent and the Male Street-Corner Gang.[4]
In 1970, Lewis was one of two dozen original founders of the Coalition of One Hundred Black Women, a civil rights organization for Black women.[2][3][5][6] She was an active member of the NAACP, the National Urban League, and other civil rights organizations.[2][7]
