[4] Lewis studied at Oakland Tech high school, following in the steps of other Black Panther Party leaders such as Bobby Hutton and Reginald Forte.
[4] Before becoming involved in racial politics, her parents wanted her to pursue a Jazz career, as she was an accomplished violinist in high school.
[5][2] She dropped out of high school and made the decision to put her jazz career on hold in order to help the movement.
When male panthers questioned her abilities as a marksman because of her gender, Lewis challenged them to come to the range and see if they could match her straight shot.
Her work was easily identified by its thin pen strokes, and the light shading that outlined her usually militant female caricatures.
Through both her artwork, as well as her involvement in training camps and police patrols, Lewis created a space for Black women to embody the image of radical defenders of the community and culture.