Claude Lewis, founder of National Association of Black Journalists, passes away at 82

Claude Lewis, founder of the National Association of Black Journalists and also a founder of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (PABJ), has died according to his grandson Judah Wilson.

He was 82.

Statement of Claude Lewis death

“This is a very sad day. Claude was a great mentor for me at The Bulletin. He always had time to talk with a young journalist trying to navigate the newsroom. He was the calm spirit that guided many of us,” said former colleague and NABJ Founder Sandra Dawson Long Weaver.

Journalism career

Colleagues and younger reporters widely respected Lewis, who mentored many journalists throughout his career

Born and raised in the Bronx, he attended New York City public schools. He graduated from City College with a degree in English.

Lewis worked as an editor and reporter for newspapers and magazines, such as Newsweek, New York Herald Tribune, and The Philadelphia Bulletin.

He taught at Villanova University and also wrote a column for The Bulletin until it closed in 1982. Later, Lewis wrote a syndicated column for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Social justice

Claude Lewis covered the civil rights movement in the 1960s. He met with and interviewed Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. In 1968, Lewis left a meeting in Philadelphia and rushed to Memphis to join the King family after he received news that King had been shot.

Lewis formed the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists in 1973 with Chuck Stone and Acel Moore, and the group would go on to become one of the 44 founders of the National Association of Black Journalists in 1975 in Washington, D.C.

“Claude was a journalist miles ahead of his time, and he achieved recognition long before many recognized him,” said Paul Brock, another NABJ co-founder.

Claude Lewis legacy

Lewis died at his Cherry Hill, New Jersey home on Thursday morning.

He’s survived by his wife Beverly, four children, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned for a later date.