Indiana's First Black College Wasn't Martin | Indianapolis News

Indiana’s first Black college wasn’t Martin University—it was Lewis Business College, founded in the late 1920s by trailblazing Black woman educator and radio pioneer Mary Lewis. Starting with just $50 and a used typewriter, she trained Black women in secretarial skills, becoming Indiana’s first Black female radio announcer to promote her school. Though modest at first, it grew into a major HBCU, relocating to Detroit for explosive wartime growth, and later reopened in 2022 as Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design—still honoring its mission to empower through specialized education. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/6f6d84fa8b4999c7