[1] Lewis was born Violet Temple Harrison on May 27, 1897, in Lima, Ohio.

[2] Lewis' first job was as secretary to the president of Selma University in Alabama.

[4][5] Lewis started her own radio program, "The Negro Melody Hour", with a hope of boosting enrollment to the college.

[2] Lewis owned multiple small businesses in Indianapolis, including an ice cream shop and a store selling Christmas trees and fireworks.

[6] She started an additional school in Detroit, Michigan in 1939, which opened the following February.