John Hope Bryant

HOPE Snippet: Operation HOPE Stands in Support of an Important and Moving Speech by President Obama at Morehouse College Today

Today in the pouring rain, 10,000 or more brave souls joined 400 plus proud Morehouse College graduates --- all crowded under ponchos, hats and even program books -- to hear their President "bring the message," to and for young black men of the future.  And rain or no, the President did not disappoint.

And yes, I was one of those 10,000 being pounded by rain that seem to come on schedule. But no regrets here. Dr. King, my personal hero Ambassador Andrew Young, and countless others in the civil rights movement dealt with much, much worse, for much, much longer.

President Obama spoke directly to young black men who come at a critical time for America, as well a critical time of and for the traditional African-American experience in America.

Young men who, if pointed in the right direction and truly inspired to make a difference, could very well remake and reset the very future of Black America. A Black American community that is arguably at a historic tipping point nearly 50 years since Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Operation HOPE 21: Telling The Story of Our Founding

21 years ago, this day, May 5th, 2013, the bold vision of and for Operation HOPE was born in South Central Los Angeles, immediately following the Rodney King Riots of April 29th, 1992.

"Rainbows, after storms.  You cannot have a rainbow without a storm first."

After the Rodney King verdict came down, so many things just went dark in the community I loved so much. The community I still love.  But not all things were negative, in the days and weeks and months that followed.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters and her local leadership group, led by Brenda Shockley as I recall, stood up their vision of and for Community Build. Today, Congresswoman Waters serves on the financial services committee for Congress, continuing to push her agenda for her people.

Then City Counciman Mark Ridkey-Thomas, who today is an esteemed and accomplished lead member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.  I fondly remember Supervisor Ridley-Thomas for so many reasons, but a couple stand out for me.  Mark (as I respectfully call him as a friend) served on our first board of directors for Operation HOPE. I remember our parting conversation. It was our first letterhead. We were committed to "eradicating poverty across America," and Mark (Ridley-Thomas) wanted to eradicate poverty and empower people IN THE 8TH DISTRICT!  We were both right, but Councilman Ridley-Thomas was more right than me.  He was 100% focused on empowering and serving the people in the district he was elected to serve.  This impresses me now, as much as it impressed me then.  I was sad to see Ridley-Thomas leave our board back then, by I so respected "why" he did it.  I also got the phrase "With HOPE," which has become my global signature sign-off statement on all correspondence, from Mr. Ridley-Thomas.  Finally, back then I would say that Ridley-Thomas was the only sitting elected official who really knew and understood community development, community empowerment, and the power of financial dignity in one's life.  

Silver Rights Empowerment Factoid

In 1843, Henry Jones and 11 other German-Jewish immigrants gathered in Sinsheimer's Café on New York's Lower East Side to confront what Isaac Rosenbourg, one of B'nai B'rith's founders, called "the deplorable condition of Jews in this, our newly adopted country."

Thus, B'nai B'rith (children of the covenant) was born.

The original members' first concrete action was creating an insurance policy that awarded members' widows $30 toward funeral expenses, and a stipend of one dollar a week for the rest of their lives. Each child would also receive a stipend and, for male children, assurance he would be taught a trade.

Solving Poverty: Dr. King, Wealth and Poverty, from Birmingham, Alabama to the Black Mecca of Atlanta

This past week marked the 50th anniversary of the Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his Birmingham Movement of 1963.  Much is known about Dr. King's now famous Letter, but it is generally less known that the Birmingham Movement was rooted in economic justice and jobs.  

And so, it was fitting that this week the organization I founded, Operation HOPE, marked the occasion by hosting a special HOPE Forum at our new HOPE Financial Dignity Center at Ebenezer in Atlanta, featuring U.S. Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry. Comptroller Curry regulates national banks with total assets of more than $12 trillion.  

An authentic, thoughtful and caring leader with a direct impact on more than $12 trillion in banking assets, is precisely the sort of transformational leader we need to see more of in inner-city, rural and under-served communities in America. For me, it is all part of a growing movement and body of work, from civil rights justice, to civil rights empowerment for all.  

But the visit to Atlanta and the HOPE Center Ebenezer, located within the larger Martin Luther King, Sr. Community Resource Complex, across from the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, was not a celebration of the vast economic progress that has been made since Dr. King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail. There has been progress, no doubt. Quite a bit in fact, but grossly uneven in its impact; even amongst African-Americans.  A room full of Black prosperity is to be celebrated, but it not absent the reality of Black poverty and the unbanked which could be found less than 2 blocks away.

Frankly, much of what Dr. King attempted to deal with and address through his Birmingham Movement work, could very well be applied to the economic conditions today in both Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia.

Become a Part of Global Dignity Day 2013, Around the World

AN INVITATION.

We invite you to engage in an active dialogue with young people. Would you like to take part in discussions on one of the most important aspects of our lives, our dignity, and how the everyday choices we make, large and small, can have a positive influence on the world? Be a facilitator on GLOBAL DIGNITY DAY! You will lead a session with a school class for one hour, and your task will be to inspire and help the students to share their thoughts and stories about dignity. All facilitators will receive proper training before the event. GLOBAL DIGNITY DAY will be celebrated on 16 October 2013 at schools in more than 50 countries around the world.

Read more about GLOBAL DIGNITY DAY at www.globaldignity.org and www.facebook.com/globaldignity. Follow the movement on Twitter with hash tag #gdignity.

Let's go....



John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Under-Served and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, for President Barack Obama. Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum. Mr. Bryant is a thought leader represented by the Bright Sight Group for public speaking. Mr. Bryant serves on the board of directors of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE: ACRE), a specialty finance company that is managed by an affiliate of Ares Management LLC, a global alternative asset manager with approximately $59 billion in committed capital under management as of December 31, 2012.

Honoring the Life and Legacy of the late Secretary Ron Brown

I commend and thank the White House and the Obama Administration for recognizing my late friend, Secretary Ron Brown, on the anniversary of his passing, along with 34 other nobel, dedicated Americans who gave their lives for public service.

Read the White House article in full here.

 

Presenting the Operation HOPE Business in a Box, Atlanta Pilot Program Competition

 

This short video says it all. It is the "magic" that we have been talking about. That I have been dreaming about, ever since I came up with the vision of and for HOPE Business In A Box this time last year on my my birthday.  My birthday is February 6th, 2013, and seeing this vision made real is the best birthday present that this "proud pappa" could have (smile).

Thank you to Mary Hagerty, president of the HOPE Youth Empowerment Group, the Atlanta team, led by Jay Bailey, Tara Dennis (youth agenda) and others there, along with everyone who helped to make this real.  

A special thank you to Ms. Natasha L. Foreman, MBA, dedicated HOPE Corps volunteer, small business owner and the HOPE Business In A Box coordinator in Atlanta, Georgia.  She worked tirelessly to see this through from concept to reality for these bright young kids (our leaders for the future) in Atlanta.  

A Special Moment, with a Special Man: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Receives the HOPE Award

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, left, is handed an award by John Hope Bryant, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, Inc., after Bernanke offered the keynote speech at the Operation HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, in Atlanta.

Bernanke said Thursday that banks' overly tight lending standards may be holding back the U.S. economy by preventing creditworthy borrowers from buying homes. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Operation HOPE and Private Sector Join to Provide Disaster Financial Recovery to Individuals Affected by Hurricane Sandy

Ares Capital, Allstate, Aon, HSBC, and Transunion among corporate partners joining commitment

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Operation HOPE, Inc. (HOPE) is pleased to announce it is joining forces with private and public sector organizations to provide long-term financial recovery information, guidance and empowerment services to small businesses, families and individuals devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Ares Capital, Allstate, Aon, HSBC, and Transunion are among the initial group of companies making a commitment to help the HOPE recovery initiative - Project Restore HOPE: Hurricane Sandy.

Project Restore HOPE is a collaboration of Operation HOPE's disaster preparedness and recovery division, HOPE Coalition America (HCA), private sector financial institutions and government agencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has also been an avid supporter and team member of Project Restore HOPE. The goal of the team project is to provide long-term economic revitalization and empowerment services and programs to survivors of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey on-the-ground, and via a toll-free hotline in the District of Columbia and the other 11 recovering states. The effort will provide financial guidance to the survivors of the hurricane, including:

• Recovery budget preparation and emergency credit management 
• Working with individuals to help them understand and complete the insurance claim process
• Referrals to government and private agencies providing assistance 
• Assistance with obtaining copies of lost or destroyed documents 
• Assistance completing applications for grants and loans 
• Assistance with modifying and restructuring credit and loan obligations

The announcement comes following a meeting hosted by Michael Arougheti , president of Ares Capital, in New York City on December 11. Executives from the country's top financial services firms, accounting firms, law firms, as well as public sector leaders from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) attended to discuss Hurricane Sandy recovery and their commitments. The meeting included a presentation by FEMA Deputy Administrator Tim Manning , who briefed corporate partners on the status of recovery efforts in the areas most impacted by the hurricane and on the need for more private sector support for individuals and small businesses.  

"The destruction that was experienced by hundreds of thousands of residents in the tri-state area due to Hurricane Sandy was felt deeply within the business community," said Michael Arougheti , president of Ares Capital. "This meeting was a first step in our effort to demonstrate the business community's commitment to help impacted families and individuals get back on their feet. I am pleased with the working partnership that has been formed with Operation HOPE, FEMA, Ares Capital and other partners, as we are deeply invested in this recovery effort."

John Hope Bryant Selected as Grand Marshal of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade in Dallas

HOPE Founder Salutes King’s Life and Legacy at the City of Dallas MLK Parade and the 31st Annual Martin Luther King Awards Banquet

Los Angeles – January 17, 2013 -- Operation HOPE announced today that John Hope Bryant, founder, chairman and chief executive officer, will preside as the Grand Marshal of the 31st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration in Dallas, Texas.  His participation in the televised event includes the historic march to Fair Park, a candle-lighting ceremony, and will culminate at the esteemed MLK Awards Banquet, where Bryant will keynote.

 

“The theme of this year’s celebrations .....”Passing on the Dream” exemplifies how brightly King’s Dream still burns in our memory. How radiantly his legacy still influences our lives,” Bryant said. “Dr. King is so special to me, because I believe that his final work, the Poor People’s campaign, is much of what I strive to do through Operation HOPE, empower people to control their own financial future and gain economic justice. Being a part of this event is a great honor for me.”

 

The activities give residents an opportunity to meet and mingle with government officials, community heads and faith leaders. Special Honorees include: Dr. Beverly Mitchell-Brooks, PhD, CEO/President-Urban League of Greater Dallas & North Central Texas and Commissioner John W. Price Dallas County Commissioner, District 3.  

Read the complete story on the HOPE Blog here.