Thomas Lopez-Pierre is a sinner, saved by God's grace.
Thomas Lopez-Pierre is a 44 year old married man of Puerto Rican, Dominican and Haitian descent.
Thomas Lopez-Pierre and his ex-wife share a set of twin girls and a 2nd grade son.
A native New Yorker, Thomas Lopez-Pierre's professional background is rooted in social responsibility and devoted to philanthropic endeavors that help strengthen his community.
Thomas Lopez-Pierre serves as the Managing Member of the Harlem Small Business Fund, LLC (harlemsmallbusinessfund.com).
Thomas Lopez-Pierre serves as the Chairperson of the Douglass Grant Democratic Club (douglassgrantdemocraticclub.org).
Thomas Lopez-Pierre serves as the Chairperson of the Harlem Public Housing Scholarship Fund, Inc. (hphsf.org).
Thomas Lopez-Pierre serves as the Chairperson of the Harlem Buy Black Campaign Fund, Inc. (harlembuyblackcampaignfund.org).
Thomas Lopez-Pierre attended John Jay College/CUNY.
Thomas Lopez-Pierre lives in a low income apartment in Manhattan Valley.
Thomas Lopez-Pierre is a member of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.
SOCRATES once said that the more he learned, the more he became convinced of his own ignorance.
Thomas Lopez-Pierre's daughter
Thomas Lopez-Pierre's son
Thomas Lopez-Pierre's daughter
About Thomas Lopez-Pierre (birth to 21 years old)
Thomas and his twin brother were born to a Black mother and Hispanic Father (of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent); out of wedlock and addicted to drugs in 1968 in the Bronx.
Thomas never saw his mother again after she abandon them at the hospital (spent 15 years in foster care and group homes).
At birth, Thomas was sent to live with several foster care families. At the age of 8 years old (the year was 1976), The State of New York in its infinite wisdom sent Thomas to live with his drug-addict father in the drug-infested community of Bushwick, Brooklyn.
During these 6 years (8 to 14 years of age) of living in the crime ridden community of Bushwick, Brooklyn, Thomas was sent daily to buy drugs for his drug-addict father. When the police stopped Thomas and found drugs on him because of his age they returned him to his father.
Thomas' father was a violent man and would often beat his son with a pipe for not being smart enough to protect his drugs from the police (See NBC News video report on crime in Bushwick, Brooklyn in 1976).
When Thomas was 11 years old, his father sent him two days before Christmas Day to stay with his father's step-sisters on Christmas Day. The Christmas tree was stacked so high with gifts. Thomas never saw so many toys before. He counted only about eight other children in the apartment on Christmas Day.
Thomas kept trying to figure out how many was his.
It did not take long for Thomas to find out that NO one had place a gift under the tree for him. Thomas sat there as each gift was handed out wondering when someone, anyone was going to call his name.
He was in shock; Thomas never felt so unloved in his life.
He wanted to cry but he did not.
Thomas had to spend the next few days before his father picked him up, watching the other children playing with their new toys. And children being how they can be, teased him that Santa Claus did not leave him any toys under the tree (because Thomas was bad and bad boys do not get toys).
Thomas Lopez-Pierre with his twin brother
There was never enough food to eat. They lived on welfare. Thomas' father did not have to work because of his disability --- being addicted to drugs. Near the end of the month (welfare checks came at the beginning of the month), the only meal was free school breakfast and lunch.
While most kids enjoyed their weekends of no school, Thomas would be left to cry himself to sleep. No school, no food. Going to bed in pain from being hungry and in tears was as natural as breathing and living with roaches.
Thomas' father never had enough money for drugs and food. At the time, the nation was in an economic recession, tax payers would only provide so much welfare.
A once happy boy who did well in school, fell behind in his studies and become a C+ student. Thomas spent his days playing in abandoned buildings and staying out of the way of the gangs that controlled sections of Bushwick.
At the age of 14, a Family Court Judge, recognized the error of sending a child to live with their drug addict parent - sent Thomas to live in a boys group home where he remained until he age-out at 21 years. Today, as a father of three young children, Thomas is committed to working with his wife of ten years to help provide their children with the love, care and values he did not get as a child and the opportunities that he did not get.
