Speaking

An American story, five generations in the making.

One family's story, told as American history: a free Black patriot who fought in the Revolution, an ancestor who escaped slavery and patented his own invention, and an uncle who built the first Black-owned company in America to pass $1 billion in sales.

I bring my family's documented history, from the founding to today, to school assemblies, convocations, and college audiences.

Book for February 2027 See the talks
Russell Fugett
The Story

History, through one family's eyes.

I don't teach this history from the outside. My ancestors lived it, and the documents prove it, from a Revolutionary War service record to a U.S. patent.

The Revolution
Henry Bakeman

My ancestor Henry Bakeman was a free Black man who fought in the American Revolution. In his honor, I'm a member and past president of the Sons of the American Revolution, John Eager Howard Chapter, in Baltimore.

Slavery to Ownership
Joseph M. Fugett

My great-great-grandfather escaped slavery during the Civil War, settled in Baldwinsville, New York, and ran his own blacksmith shop. In 1888 he was granted U.S. Patent No. 393,971 for a road cart he invented.

Wall Street
Reginald F. Lewis

My uncle co-founded the first Black-owned law firm on Wall Street. In 1987 he led the $985 million buyout of Beatrice International Foods and built TLC Beatrice into the first Black-owned company in America to pass $1 billion in sales.

Sheet 1 of U.S. Patent No. 393,971, Joseph M. Fugett's road cart, 1888

Students see the real thing: Joseph's patent drawing, with his signature, issued December 4, 1888. Fugett Labs, my company, is named in his honor.

View the patent →
Two Talks

Choose the talk that fits your school.

Both talks tell the same family story. The framing and the season change.

Black History Month
From Revolution to Reginald: One Family, American History

An assembly or keynote that moves from the Revolution to the present through one family. Black history is not a sidebar to American history. It is American history.

  • 15 to 30 minutes for an assembly, plus Q&A
  • Adapted for middle school, high school, or college
  • Especially resonant for Baltimore-area schools and HBCUs
America 250
A Patriot in the Family: Black Americans and the Founding

Built for America's 250th anniversary. A look at the founding through a free Black patriot who fought for independence, and the generations who kept building on that promise.

  • 15 to 30 minutes for an assembly, plus Q&A
  • Fits founding-era and civics units
  • Available throughout the 2026–27 school year
Formats

What schools get.

Assembly or keynote

A full-school assembly runs 15 to 30 minutes, with time for student questions. Grade-level presentations, convocations, and college keynotes are shaped to your schedule.

Classroom and faculty add-ons

Add classroom visits or a faculty session to the day, so the conversation keeps going after the assembly ends.

In person or virtual

In person across the Baltimore and Washington region and beyond, with a virtual option for schools outside the area.

In the Room

Where I've spoken.

Joseph R. Fugett Middle SchoolWest Chester, PA · about 900 students · 2022, invited back
Georgetown Preparatory SchoolConvocation address · 2023
Indian Creek SchoolBlack History Month talk · 2022
UMBCRaymond V. Haysbert Sr. Entrepreneurship Lecture · 2018
Guilford Dialogues2022
May MobilityAll-hands address · 2022

References from past host schools are available on request.

About

The fifth generation.

I'm a fifth-generation entrepreneur and the founder of Fugett Labs. I tell my family's story because I'm still living it: a line that runs from a Revolutionary War patriot, through a blacksmith who patented his own work, to a Wall Street pioneer.

Governor Wes Moore appointed me a Commissioner on the Maryland Economic Development Commission. I chair the finance committee of the Indian Creek School board, where I previously served as vice chair, so I know school communities from the boardroom as well as the stage.

More of the story is on my About page.

At a glance
Founder, Fugett Labs
Commissioner, Maryland Economic Development Commission, appointed by Governor Wes Moore
Finance Committee Chair and past Vice Chair, Indian Creek School board
Member and past president, Sons of the American Revolution, John Eager Howard Chapter
B.A., Trinity College; master's in project management, George Washington University; PMP
Based in the Baltimore, Washington, and Annapolis area
Booking

Now booking February 2027 and the 2026–27 school year.

February dates fill first. To check availability for your school, college, or organization, reach out:

Russell Fugett
Speaking inquiries
russell@fugettlabs.com

Fees depend on format and distance. Travel applies beyond the Baltimore and Washington area.