The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce honored me with the “Advocate of the Year” award during their annual Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week. The virtual conference convened under the theme “Reimagining Opportunity: Building Back Better, Together” and featured several great sessions and dynamic speakers; all focused on supporting minority business development.

I’m honored to be the recipient of this award in recognition of my work with Operation HOPE and our various initiatives which support Black small businesses and their founders, from our flagship programs, including Credit and Money Management and Small Business Development, to our more recent endeavor, 1 Million Black Businesses (1MBB), which aims to stand up 1 million Black-owned businesses by the year 2030.

I would like to take the time to acknowledge my team at Operation HOPE for helping to carry out my vision of increasing opportunity through financial literacy. Together we have made a tremendous impact, and I know we’ll continue to do so in the months and years to come.

Click here to watch my remarks.

Lastly, as I think about the theme of MED Week — “Reimagining Opportunity” — I’m reminded of another word I like to use to describe that process: reset. As we continue to explore the reimagining of opportunity and the great reset of the American economy, we must begin to explore ways to “Meet the Moment” that we’re in. That’s why we’re focusing on that very topic during our upcoming HOPE Global Forums, October 19-21. Registration is happening now for both the virtual and in-person experience. Seats are limited for our in-person session, so request your invitation today. Simply click here and use code OH21VRT to register for the virtual experience and OH21IRT for an in-person invitation.

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