RECENT POSTS
20 Years After Hurricane Katrina: A Legacy of HOPE
August 29, 2005, is a date I will never forget. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast with unimaginable force, leaving behind destruction, heartbreak, and indifference. It was one of the greatest tragedies of our time, and it exposed deep wounds in our nation. But...
InvestFest 2025: From Hustle to Ownership—Four Founders Backed, A Community Energized
Atlanta showed out. A record crowd, 25,000+ strong, packed InvestFest this weekend, proving (again) that when knowledge meets access, people move. Our closing-session fireside chat, moderated by Dr. Jatali Bellanton, was fast, practical, and all heart. We talked...
iHeart Media to feature Operation HOPE CEO John Hope Bryant’s Podcast to Empower Black Entrepreneurs Throughout National Black Business Month
The podcast, “Money and Wealth with John Hope Bryant” is regularly in the top 100 of all business and finance podcasts ATLANTA--In honor of National Black Business Month, Operation HOPE has joined forces with iHeartMedia to launch From Hustle to Holdings: A Black...
AI Ethics Council – Co-Chaired by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman & CEO John Hope Bryant – Appoints Two New Board Members
Robert Silvers, former Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary, and Richard D. Phillips, Dean of Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, join the AIEC to strengthen its cross-sector mission to ensure ethical and inclusive AI development....
Personal Statement from John Hope Bryant on Recent Tragedies
To my friend Commissioner Roger Goodell, the entire NFL family, and our colleagues at Blackstone, I am heartbroken by the tragic and senseless violence that took place at the NFL’s Midtown Manhattan office. Like so many, I am struggling to process the loss of life,...
Operation HOPE & Georgia State University’s Inaugural AILP³ Summer Camp Empowers Atlanta Youth with AI Literacy Skills to Bridge the Opportunity Gap
ATLANTA —The first-ever AI Literacy Pipeline to Prosperity Project (AILP³) summer camp successfully wrapped last week, marking a major milestone in a new effort to bridge the digital and economic divide for underserved youth and laying the foundation for future...
Operation HOPE and Financial Literacy for All Celebrate Record-Breaking Success of Green Socks Day Challenge
Operation HOPE and Financial Literacy for All (FL4A) announced today that they achieved record-breaking impact following this year’s inaugural Green Socks Day Challenge, which mobilized corporate partners and drove a surge in new clients seeking Operation HOPE’s...
John Hope Bryant Named 2025 XCEL Awards Honoree by Black Enterprise
John Hope Bryant has been selected as a 2025 XCEL Awards Honoree by Black Enterprise, one of the nation’s most esteemed recognitions celebrating the excellence and leadership of Black men across industries. This honor will be presented at the 2025 Black Men XCEL...
John Hope Bryant’s “Financial Literacy for All” Hits #1 on Amazon in Business and Economics
John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE, is once again leading the national conversation on economic empowerment with the continued success of his latest book, Financial Literacy for All. The newly released paperback has climbed to #1 in both...
Lessons from My Mother: Grit, Grace, and Paying it Forward
This Mother’s Day, I honor the woman who gave me everything that truly matters—not money or privilege, but principles, purpose, and pride. My mother, Mrs. Juanita Smith, raised me in Compton, California, with little in the way of material wealth but an abundance of...
May 5: HOPE Was Born—and We’re Just Getting Started
On May 5, 1992, in the shadow of civil unrest and a country in crisis, I boarded a bus with a handful of bankers and took them straight into South Central Los Angeles. Not for a photo op. For a purpose. We weren’t there to observe. We were there to invest—to spark...
Green Socks, Big Message: Why Financial Literacy Must Be Seen to Be Heard
On April 30, we closed out Financial Literacy Month with a bold, unapologetic statement: Put Your Best Foot Forward.And yes—we meant that literally. Through the Green Socks Day Challenge, we invited leaders, learners, CEOs, teachers, athletes, students, and everyone...
Why Hope Still Matters—Even When the Economy Feels Shaky
This week, Operation HOPE released our Q1 2025 HOPE Insider Report, and the results speak volumes—not just about the economy, but about the mindset of everyday Americans trying to navigate it. Let’s be honest: people are worried. Nearly three out of four respondents...
Green Socks Day: A New Kind of Civil Rights Movement
Today, we wear green socks—but this isn’t about fashion. It’s about financial dignity. Green Socks Day is a fun, grassroots campaign rooted in one powerful idea: meet people where they are. Whether you're a policymaker in Washington, a CEO in a high-rise, or a parent...
The Conversation America Needs Right Now
I believe financial literacy is the civil rights issue of this generation—not Black or white, red or blue, but green. That’s why I joined Bloomberg to speak plainly about where we are as a country and what it's really going to take to move forward. We talked about...