His mission to bring hope and dignity to young people and their parents–through practical economic education.
Is there a tipping point for justice? Yes, according to John Hope Bryant, founder, chairman and CEO, of Operation HOPE, a not-for-profit organization focused on expanding economic opportunity in underserved communities through economic education and empowerment.
“The goal of 5MK is to reach, teach and touch five million kids in five years about the importance of understanding the language of money, entrepreneurship and the importance of education.”-Quincy Jones
Citing Malcolm Gladwell’s book Tipping Point, Bryant notes that “when five percent of citizens are [economically] positively and actively engaged a community becomes stabilized.” The end result is financial dignity, which Bryant calls “the civil rights issue of our generation.” He says, “There are almost no role models in ‘low-wealth’ communities.”
Reaching five million children
Operation HOPE’s Five Million Kids (5MK) Initiative is focused on creating a mainstream financial literacy movement in America by leveraging current trends on behalf of kids and their parents. “Our kids are brilliant, but their lives have been hijacked by a culture that celebrates celebrities and sports and equates being dumb with being cool. We need to flip that on its head,” Bryant says.
That’s where Grammy-award winner Quincy Jones comes in. Mr. Jones and the civil rights icon Ambassador Andrew Young are the National Co- Chairs of 5MK.
Bryant explains, “Quincy Jones is one of the few global brands who is relevant to every generation whether you like Kanye West, Jay-Z, or Dizzy Gillespie.”
Quincy Jones says, “The goal of 5MK is to reach, teach and touch five million kids in five years about the importance of understanding the language of money, entrepreneurship and the importance of education.”
Making capitalism work for everyone
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