GameChangers 2025: Honoring people who make a difference in communities of color
By Racquel Williams, KYW Newsradio
February 12, 202512:22 pm
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia-based national nonprofit OIC of America helps transform the lives of people in forgotten places, from the underserved and formerly incarcerated to those working in low-wage jobs who seek a brighter future. OIC provides them with opportunities to enter the middle class through job training, with no out-of-pocket costs.
Louis King, who has led OIC since 2022, was a 1960s kid who grew up in the projects. Once he started college and began to travel, a light went off.
“When I got to Minnesota, I discovered how the wealthy lived, and that there were people who were interested in helping African Americans — the people that I represent — gain access to the middle class, even though they had nothing to gain,” he said.
OIC partners with 41 organizations across the country. Its Sullivan Training Network is known as the people’s pathway out of poverty, into new careers, and toward stronger communities and economies.
King said people can’t get comfortable when they’ve made it, because others sacrificed to get us where we are.
“We’re in Black History Month. So how did the Black middle class grow? A lot of poor people got out there and protested,” he said. “We’re being put to the test now on our resolve, and we have to realize that the true power lies in working together.”
OIC’s STEMLinx program offers youth work experiences and engagement with STEM professionals, giving them the skills to succeed in future STEM careers.
“We can’t forget our kids,” King added. “We have to see them as workers of the future, and that’s what we do with our STEM programming. I think that we have an opportunity in front of us to help transform this country.”
King is committed to breaking the cycles of poverty and injustice and creating a more just society for everyone. He said he’s proud when he sees young people succeed.
“I see my students who came to me with nothing, riding by with cars and kids, and they got families. That’s the most gratifying thing to see them raising families.”
During Black History Month, KYW Newsradio’s GameChangers honors individuals or organizations that have made a significant, positive impact in communities of color in the greater Philadelphia region. View the 2025 honorees here.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified King as OIC’s founder.
