Well he's not getting the "first" billionaire award, he's actually getting the first Reginald F. Lewis Award, which is gives tribute to Mr. Lewis being the first black billionaire.
The ceremony will be on Sunday July 6, and will be presented by the late Mr. Lewis' wife, Loida Lewis, who in turn had this to say about Diddy, "Mr. Combs, like my husband, came from humble beginnings and has become internationally successful. My husband was the Jackie Robinson of finance, he broke the ceiling. Now he's inspiration to contemporary black business men and this event will bring awareness to his legacy."
Mr. Lewis is one of those influential black men that you hardly ever hear about, especially in the finance world. Reginald Lewis was also the head of TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc. and co-founded the first African-American law firm on Wall Street, Murphy, Thorpe & Lewis. In 1987, he was the first African-American to negotiate a leverage buy-out, where he purchased the Beatrice Foods International company for $985 billion. He died in 1993 and his wife Loida Lewis now runs his foundation. The ceremony will take place at the Lewis' Hampton Estate, and the proceeds from the event will go to the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation.
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