John Hope Bryant

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. 

 

Operation HOPE and Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti Stand in Support of Mortgage HOPE Crisis Hotline in Los Angeles

This week Operation HOPE stood with my friend and HOPE Partner, Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti, as we announced the results of the work of the Mortgage HOPE Crisis Hotline, and stood with families and individuals who have had their lives positively impacted, and in each case their home saved, because of our work.

What most do not know is that the Mortgage HOPE Crisis Hotline, which is now national, has modified or helped to restructure more than $450 million in mortgages (half a $ billion) and served more than 100,000 individuals and familes, was originally the idea of one Eric Garcetti.  That's right -- a politician actually doing his job, as public servant.

Why I Do What I Do

I do it for THIS reason.  To see THIS expression on a young person's face.  Just look at this ~ it is literally priceless. And all I had to do here was to sign and give him a copy of my bestselling business book LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass).  Did you "get" what I just said?  I gave the young man a BUSINESS book.  Not fiction (all good by the way), or a comic, or some rap lyrics (all good too).  But a book on business and leadership, and inspired in the right way, this young man just lit up like a Christmas tree.

This is why I do what I do, and why I believe so passionately in our work in financial dignity at Operation HOPE, and the promise of the silver rights movement.

Our young people increasingly don't have something tangible of even aspirational to believe in, and as a result, we are losing them.

Special From Gainesville Sun: Banquet speaker talks class, money

John Hope Bryant was the keynote speaker at the 27th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Hall of Fame Banquet.

Buy PhotoBRAD McCLENNY/Special to the Guardian

By CLEVELAND TINKER
Special to the Guardian

Published: Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 5:27 p.m.

Life in the 21st century is about economic freedom more than anything else for blacks in Gainesville, the U.S. and people around the world.

That was the message delivered by John Hope Bryant at the 27th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Hall of Fame Banquet Sunday night to more than 325 people at the Paramount Plaza Hotel.

Read the complete story here.

 

An Unsung Hero for Financial Dignity: John Rogers, Jr.

Most people know of John Rogers, Jr, if they are aware of him at all (he is low key and humble about his noteworthy accomplishments), as the pioneering chairman and founding CEO of Ariel Capital, which became the first multi-billion dollar investor of private sector funds into the mainstream market (featuring amongst others, the very successful Ariel Mutual Funds), led by an African-American. Others know John Rogers, Jr. as a close friend and supporter of President Barack Obama.  

I know a different, but not an inconsistent John Rogers, Jr.  

The John that I know, and have known on some level for 20 years, partnered together with Charles Schwab & Co to produce a then groundbreaking study on the net worth differences between like-income, like-educated mainstream (Caucasian), African-American and Latino middle class Americans.  The differences in net worth between the racial classes was stark and startling, with much attributed to "what" people did with their money, more so that "how much" they actually earned.  In other words, John was pushing financial literacy empowerment before it had a formal name and definition.  I personally remember this study being one of the influencers that pushed me to call for more silver rights in American life, in addition to civil rights, in the lives of low-wealth Americans; including the black and brown middle class.

Bryant Economic Factoid, Reflection

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, a new friend in the work of Operation HOPE in the state, tells me that 33% of all Maryland residents would have to sell their car if they needed $3,000 cash in hand today. This should not be in America, 2012. We should work to open silver rights, and not just civil rights opportunity, for all.



John Hope Bryant is an entrepreneur, 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 sole 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.

RARE Youth in Northern Virginia School Listen to Operation HOPE John Hope Bryant during Virtual MLK Session Featuring Banking on Our Future

Wow -- this proves the power of technology.  Here I gave a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr speech and didn't even know it.  The kids simply pulled up a video of me on their iPad (YouTube) and made it happen for themselves (smile).  The youth were taught a Banking on Our Future financial literacy session as well by HOPE's own Jena Roscoe.

Here at Operation HOPE we believe that financial literacy is the new civil rights issue for this generation.

 

 

CNBC Captains of Industry, South Africa: Featuring John Hope Bryant, Part II

 

 

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. 

 

John Hope Bryant Civil Rights to Silver Rights Quote of the Day

"During Dr. King's day, people either loved you or hated you.  It was basically one or the other, and you knew where people stood. There was some salvation in that, given that love and hate requires you to care.  They were either with you, or against you.  Today, the issue is not so much love or hate, but what I call 'radical indifference.' Some people don't actually care enough about you to hate you. And this is why we organized Operation HOPE Bankers Bus Tours following the Rodney King Riots of 1992 in Los Angeles. It was our attempt to re-weave together a fabric of a caring and interconnected community. Every CEO and banker that participated, left the experience different."

 

John Hope Bryant, founder of Operation HOPE

SPECIAL FROM THE GAINESVILLE SUN: A Different Struggle

John Hope Bryant, founder and CEO of Operation HOPE Inc., delivers the keynote speech during the 27th annual MLK banquet at the Paramount Plaza Hotel in Gainesville.

By Chad Smith
Staff writer

Published: Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 10:34 p.m.

Martin Luther King Jr. would have turned 83 years old Sunday, five days shy of the third anniversary of the inauguration of the first black president.

The world is significantly different from the one King left when he was assassinated in 1968, with the civil-rights movement giving way to a struggle over class, said John Hope Bryant, the founder of Operation HOPE, which provides economic education in under-served areas, in his keynote address at the 27th annual banquet honoring King’s legacy in Gainesville.

“The 21st century is about economics. Greece’s problem is not more democracy, it’s too much debt,” said Bryant, a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability.

Read the rest of the story here.