Yesterday I spent an almost perfect day in New York City. It would have been perfect if my sweetie was with me (smile).
The day started out with Mary Hagerty, my global chief of financial literacy at Operation HOPE, joining me for breakfast. The real highlight here, and the real birthday present for me, was that Mary was heading out later in the day to South Africa to sign an important memorandum of agreement between Operation HOPE and a l leading education minister in South Africa, co-signed by our global spokesman and my hero Ambassador Andrew Young. She will also open up a new Operation HOPE of South Africa office there, serving the Western Cape and Wellington areas of South Africa. Being in South Africa, and being a resource to my people there, was a beautiful birthday present.
Other than hanging out the night before with my sweetie’s family, "mom" Mrs. Janie Sykes Kennedy and my nephew Daniel Marsh Kennedy for a wonderful and intimate dinner, I had the opportunity to relax, for a minute, and to visit with dear friends in New York City. 
My most memorable birthday present actually came on January 22nd, 2008, when President George W. Bush signed an executive order at the White House creating the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, with Charles Schwab as chairman, a great man, and me as vice chairman, and in so doing making "financial literacy for all Americans official U.S. policy" of our great nation. For me, there is no greater or more significant birthday present on this my 42nd birthday, both to the silver rights movement, and my life. Now we must work hard to make the promise of this Presidential act real in the lives of everyday people.
A fabulous day indeed.
Onward and with HOPE
John Hope Bryant