Born and raised in New York City, Ernest R. Heyward has been involved in social activism most of his life.  He attended Stuyvesant High School where he recalls being a member of U.N.I.K.U.K.U., a club created by students to celebrate Kwanza and to bring awareness to the needs of African-American students. 

Upon graduating from Stuyvesant he attended the New York Institute of Technology majoring in Accounting.   It was there where he became one of the founding members of Malik Fraternity Incorporated.  The fraternity was founded in 1977 with the purpose of promoting success, self-development, and service to society.  

Ernest served as the first National President of the fraternity and was instrumental in developing the framework of the organization.

On October 11, 2012 Ernest received a Distinguished Leadership award from the NYCHA chapter of the NAACP. He was recognized for his work in bringing awareness to the issue of voter suppression and for his commitment to voter registration.