Maxine E. Lewis is a wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend. She is a social worker with over 35 years of experience in the field, a gun violence activist, community organizer, mentor, and a woman of God. She firmly believes that a parent should never have to bury a child.

Even as a young girl growing up in Jamaica, West Indies Maxine had a passion for community organizing and helping families in need, which she brought with her when she immigrated to New York. This passion became personal when Maxine’s 16-year-old son, Carlton Locksley Bennett, was murdered over a gold chain in the Bronx in 1993. After several years of mourning, Maxine decided to channel her grief and pain into a focused mission to provide support and resources to other children and families similarly affected by gun violence. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Audrey Cohen College in 1997, and achieved a Master’s degree in Social Work from Hunter College in 2002. Maxine then went on to work as a Social Worker and Supervisor at St. Vincent's Services for over 15 years.

In 2009, troubled by the increase of gun violence in the greater New York community, Maxine started the Carlton Locksley Bennett Foundation. What began as a program providing scholarships, school supplies, and grocery vouchers to students affected by gun violence has since expanded to include the PACT mentorship program. Today, nearly 30 years after Locksley’s death, Maxine invites everyone to join the “Take Back Our Children Campaign” by pledging to remain accountable in the fight to save our children from violence through active community support.

Maxine lives this pledge every day in her efforts to motivate and strengthen children and families affected by gun violence in the hopes of a brighter future. She is a frequent public speaker at local churches, schools, community events, and nonprofit organizations, leading conversations on the power of community support to combat the harms of gun violence. She remains an active member of numerous community outreach and support groups such as National Association of Social Work (NASW), the 67th Precinct Clergy Council, and Mothers for Safe City, and has received several honors for her efforts, including a Citation from the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President. She is always willing to listen to and support others in need by offering a prayer, spiritual guidance, or a kind thought to anyone willing to join her in her walk against gun violence.