In a provocative piece wrote and published earlier today at LinkedIn Influencers, I frame out and tell the untold story of not only the Freedman’s Bank, chartered ion 1865 to ‘teach freed slaves about money,’ but also President Lincoln’s broader work to bring true empowerment, ownership and wealth creation to former slaves, immediately following the civil war.
The story — which includes what we call today ’40 acres and a mule,’ and continuing forth and including the Freedman’s Bank — is truly breathtaking.
I cap it with the coming announcement by U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to rename the U.S. Treasury Annex (the headquarters for the Freedman’s Bank) into the Freedman’s Bank Building. The formal ceremony is this Thursday in Washington, D.C., January 7th, 2016, but the full and inspiring story can be read here below, at LinkedIn Influencers:
The Other Abraham Lincoln: Creating Black Wealth
A lot is known about President Abraham Lincoln and his time as the nation’s Chief Executive Officer, except maybe this: Lincoln was focused on helping to create Black wealth in America. Yes, you read that correctly.
What Lincoln was up to had nothing to do with race relations, or anything directly tied to Black or White issues, per se. If there was any color involved here ultimately, it was the color green. The color of U.S. currency.
In other words, Lincoln was not ‘pitching for Black people.’ In fact, this is not even a ‘racial’ post, even though it focuses on the dignity of the Black experience in America. It is simply historical, hopefully instructive, and hopefully, inspirational to you. It is a lesson in (real) leadership.
Here is a link to the full story. Read, share, comment.