Urban Thought Collective

There is a difference between broke and being poor. Being broke is a temporary economic condition, but being poor is a disabling frame of mind and a depressed condition of your spirit, and you must vow to never, ever be poor again.

My vision for the poor, the under-served, and the wealth-less of the world is to help them see themselves — differently. We can do this by helping to expose, to educate, to empower, and ultimately to inspire them. We can help them become “dreamers, with shovels in their own hands,” quoting my friend Dr. Dorothy Height.

I pray the poor can see themselves for what and who they truly already are; rich in spirit. Assets, and not liabilities on the world’s global balance sheet.

I have seen, time and again, that given an informed choice, the poor do not want a hand out, but simply a hand up. They want the dignity that comes from doing for self.

Education is the ultimate poverty eradication tool, and when you know better, you tend to do better.

Moving from civil rights to silver rights. From integrating the lunch counter, to integrating the dollar too.

Low-wealth communities, the world over, represent future emerging markets waiting to be born. That one person can make a difference, and we are that one person. That we are all accountable and responsible for the world we live in, because it is literally the world we create.

A little hope can make the difference.

John Hope Bryant is a philanthropic entrepreneur and businessman, in the business of empowerment. This includes Mr. Bryant’s non-profit work throughout the United States, through Operation HOPE, his global non-profit work led by HOPE Global Initiative and his vast work in public policy. Hope has coined the phrase “Silver Rights” to empower urban communities to increase their understanding of how money works. Find out more at http://www.johnhopebryant.com/.