John Hope Bryant

ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE: Ebenezer helps bring back a business ministry and mission to historic Auburn Avenue

By Maria Saporta

The inscription couldn’t be more appropriate.

On the tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King Sr., the message is: “I LOVE EVERYONE. STILL IN BUSINESS. JUST MOVED UPSTAIRS.

The legacy of “Daddy King” — as he was known to close friends and family — will live on through the M.L. King Sr. Community Resource Complex, which is under construction next to Ebenezer Baptist Church. King Sr. was a pastor at Ebenezer — a role he shared with his son — Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

On Sunday afternoon, Ebenezer held a program spotlighting the “business” side of Daddy King — someone who combined his religious teachings with economic lessons of self-sufficiency.

His daughter, Christine King Farris, said Daddy King had a mind for business.

“He knew how to handle his funds,” Farris said. “That’s how he got on the board of directors of Citizens Trust Bank. I almost followed him. I worked at Citizens Trust, and I majored in economics.”

King Sr. joined the board of Citizens Trust in the 1950s, where he served for several decades.

“Daddy King struggled with whether he wanted to be a businessman or a preacher,” said John Hope Bryant at the Ebenezer program on Sunday. “He did both.”

Read the complete story here.

 

 

Announcing at Ebenezer Church in Atlanta, Georgia: From Civil Rights to Silver Rights, A Conversation on Leadership

This coming Sunday, February 12th, 2012, at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church led by my friend and partner, Reverend Dr. Raphael Warnock, I will join both civil rights icon Ambassador Andrew Young and Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, the 5th pastor of America's freedom church in its more than 125 year history, for a special CONVERSATION ON LEADERSHIP: From Civil Rights to Silver Rights, and the new Civil Roghts Issue of Financial Dignity.

Operation HOPE is partnering with Ebenezer Baptist Church to build the HOPE Financial Dignity, Ebenezer, which will be the anchor tenant and partner in the new Martin Luther King, Sr. Community Resource Complex at Ebenezer, and within the broader King Center complex.  The HOPE Financial Dignity Center, Ebenezer is supported by the FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE and its members SunTrust Bank, State Farm Insurance, LPL Financial, Wells Fargo and MasterCard, as well as the US Economic Development Administration, the Coca-Cola Company and the United Way of Greater Atlanta.

Hosted by the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church but not limited to members of Ebenezer, if you are a leader in the greater Atlanta area, you can contact Operation HOPE, Atlanta to RSVP at 404-941-2919, or to get additional information.

 

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. 

 

HOPE Financial Dignity Center, Ebenezer on the Move in Atlanta

Operation HOPE Financial Dignity Center, Ebenezer ~ On The Move in Atlanta

This is literally a "steel out of the ground" silver rights movement, under way right now in Atlanta, at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and America's "Freedom Church."

The HOPE Financial Dignity Center, Ebenezer serves as the anchor tenant and partner for the Martin Luther King, Sr Community Resource Complex, next to Ebenezer and on the broader King Center site.

Partners in HOPE Center, Ebenezer, led and organized by Steve Bartlett (CEO) and the FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE, include Suntrust Bank, State Farm Insurance, LPL Financial, Wells Fargo, MasterCard, Coca-Cola, the United Way of Greater Atlanta and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.  This commitment from the FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE is a highlight feature of the HOPE-FSR National Framework Agreement for Financial Literacy, designed to bring financial literacy into the C-Suite of America's financial leaders, and to make it a 'business case' for those involved.

A special thank you to Reverend Dr. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, for seeing the vision here for silver rights, and moving to make it real in people's lives.

The best is yet to come.  Stay tuned....

 

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. 

 

Bank of the West Commits $1.7 Million to Operation HOPE’s Efforts to Promote Economic Well-being

Financial literacy programs and the Gallup-HOPE Index national student survey, receive support

LOS ANGELES--Global leader in financial dignity, Operation HOPE (HOPE) announced today a three-year, $1.7 million contribution, including cash grants and office space, by Bank of the West.

The bank’s support will directly benefit HOPE’s award-winning youth empowerment program— Banking on Our Future — in Portland, Oakland and Denver, as well as the Gallup-HOPE Index, a national survey measuring financial literacy and the economic energy of U.S. students.  Other programs and services that stand to benefit from Bank of the West’s contributions include HOPE’s financial literacy events and forums, and HOPE’s Financial Literacy Empowerment Center (HOPE Center), located with the bank’s branch in Oakland. Since 2005, the HOPE Center has served nearly 45,000 individuals.

“We are pleased to work with a financial institution like Bank of the West that understands commitment to community. Through our partnership we have worked side by side to turn underserved communities into healthy ones,” said HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant. “It is through partnerships like this that HOPE is able to deliver the financial literacy tools that empower individuals and change lives.”

Read the complete story on the HOPE site here.

 

 

Microsoft Supports Operation HOPE's Mission to Empower Underserved with $1 Million Software Donation

Global leader in financial dignity to upgrade and expand technology and services throughout organization

LOS ANGELES--Operation HOPE (HOPE) announced today a $1,000,527.00 in-kind contribution from Microsoft to help support its “silver rights” mission to empower the underserved through financial literacy and dignity.

The donation, made up of over 2,100 units of software products ranging from office and business to design and content management programs, will help the financial dignity and empowerment nonprofit, upgrade computer services for its employees and clients.

“As our relationship with Microsoft deepens, so has the ability to better serve and empower under-resourced communities,” said HOPE Executive Vice President and Chief of Field Operations Lance Triggs. “We are pleased that Microsoft recognizes the important work that we do and look forward to using this gift to improve programs and services for clients at our HOPE Financial Dignity and Literacy Empowerment Centers (HOPE Center), as well as enhance corporate operations, client management and volunteer involvement.”

Read the complete story at Operation HOPE here.

 

Operation HOPE Receives $2 Million Commitment from E*TRADE Bank

 

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Read the complete story around this incredible commitment, and this in incredible company below.

Operation HOPE Receives $2 Million Commitment from E*TRADE Bank.

HOPE Atlanta Conducts Credit and Money Management Workshop at Ebenezer Church | Operation HOPE Blog

 

HOPE Atlanta Conducts Credit and Money Management Workshop at Ebenezer Church | Operation HOPE Blog.

The Work of Operation HOPE for 2011

 

A special thank you to my best friend and Operation HOPE strategic advisor, Rod McGrew, for lending his voiceover skills (pro-bono of course) for this inspiring video, which was shown at the 2011 Operation HOPE Board Retreat.

Okay, 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 a Member of 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. 

 

The Vision for the Operation HOPE Office of Small Business & Entrepreneurship

No, it doesn't exist right now as I write this, but it is our vision for our tomorrow.  The future lies so much in us understanding that what is going on around us right now, globally, is not so much a traditional recession (or traditional anything), as a reset (as I have written about before here).  

Our success moving forward will be greatly enhanced if we are willing to accept that even with all the important things our President and others are trying to do to move the economy forward, that structurally (and confidence wise) we may be stuck with 9% unemployment as a new norm for a while.  That means that many of us, and particularly those of us who come from or presently live in low-wealth and under-served communities, may need to once again embrace the spirit of small business, entrepreneurship and what I refer to as "self-employment projects" in the new America.  And this should not scare or frighten us, as small business and entrepreneurship is in many ways the foundation of America itself (along with her democracy). Or as I heard uttered in the halls and meetings at the White House recently, "a capitalist democracy."