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From YouTube: Inclusion Counts
Description
On this episode of Inclusion Counts, Rick Williams interviews Shawn Thomas from Bridgeway Capital, David Muhammad from the City of Newark, and Jessica Bergeron from Operation Hope.
A
Welcome
to
inclusion
counts.
My
name
is
rick
williams.
I'm
the
business
inclusion
manager
for
the
city
of
pittsburgh
office
of
equity
office
of
mayor,
william
peduto
inclusion
counts,
is
a
show
that
educates
informs
and
inspires
minority
women
and
veteran
contractors
across
the
state
of
pennsylvania,
with
a
local
focus.
A
A
Our
first
guest
today
is
sean
thomas
sean
thomas
has
been
in
the
banking
and
lending
industry
for
over
20
years,
with
extensive
experience
in
consumer
and
business
banking
in
the
pittsburgh
area,
he
is
currently
bridgeway
capital's
entrepreneurial
lending.
Director
sean
is
responsible
for
all
of
bridgeway's
business
lending
efforts
and
works
with
local
entrepreneurs
to
deliver
funding
solutions
tailored
to
their
business
needs.
B
Sure
so
bridgeway
capital
is
a
cdf5.
You
know
a
lot
of
people,
don't
know
what
a
cdfi
is.
So
cdfi
is
a
community
development,
financial
institution.
One
of
the
things
about
cdfis.
We
are
a
private
institution.
We
are
a
mission
lender.
One
of
the
things
that
we
try
to
do
is
dedicate
100
to
liberal,
responsible,
affordable
lending
to
low-income
individuals
and
community
to
help
be
part
of
the
mainstream
economic
development.
B
It's
a
variety:
it
can
come
actually
from
the
treasury
department
because
there
is
arm
within
the
charging
department.
It's
a
cdfi
department.
We
can
get
it
from
banks,
we
can
get
it
from
actually
foundations.
So
across
the
board.
You
know
our
our
resources
is
a
little
bit
of
everything.
Maybe
you
know
it
comes
from
private
investors.
B
A
B
A
B
B
Also,
you
know
we
have
flexible
financing,
so
we
kind
of
put
programs
together
for
for
those
communities
at
the
end
of
the
day,
and
one
thing
about
us
we're
not
like
in
a
box
like
most
traditional
institutions,
where
you
know
you
gotta
hit
check
the
box
with
us.
We
have
a
lot
of
gray
area,
which
is
really
good
because
we
can
mitigate
certain
things
with
other
things.
B
One
product
that
we
have
is
called
the
urban
entrepreneur
loan
and
you
know
initially
when
we
launched
this
probably
about
six.
Seven
years
ago
it
was
tailored
to
seven
communities
and
after
a
year
it
was
a
big
success
and
then
we
expanded
the
program
to
all
15
counties
in
southwest
pa.
Actually,
so
you
know
at
the
end
of
the
day,
this
is
up
to
15
000
turnaround
time,
which
is
in
a
couple
weeks.
B
A
B
Well,
first
of
all,
you
know
we
have
a
conversation.
You
know
before
anything.
I
need
to
know
what
your
goals
are.
You
know
where
you're
at
where
you're
trying
to
get
to-
and
you
know
in
the
process,
if
you
need
other
services,
you
know
we
get
to
entrepreneurship
hub
that
can
help
your
business
in
different
areas.
You
know
far
as
marketing
as
far
as
branding,
maybe
just
helping
with
your
accounting
system.
B
B
A
B
Well
funny
to
say
that,
because
we
have
to
transition
actually
doing
the
pandemic
to
help
a
lot
of
distressed
businesses
that
was
out
there.
I
can
honestly
say
during
that
time.
You
know
we
really
focused
on
small
businesses
because
they
were
catching
the
brunt
of
the
pandemic,
and
you
know
our
deployment
was
over
14
million.
A
B
I
say
it
was
a
little
bit
different
in
a
way
because
one,
you
know
we're
local.
You
know
you
can
pick
up
the
phone.
You
can
email
and
you'll
get
anybody
at
bridgeway
capital.
You
get
me
or
any
other
anybody
on
the
lending
team.
Anybody
in
the
front
office.
What
made
it
different
is
that
you
know
it
wasn't
a
lot
of.
B
I
don't
want
to
say
red
tape,
but
there
wasn't
a
lot
of
paperwork
behind
it
and
you
know
when
you
put
this
permit
program
together,
we
wanted
to
streamline
the
process,
like
I
said,
to
get
the
money
in
the
hands
of
the
business
owner
within
48
to
72
hours.
You
know
once
we
collect
the
information
we'll
send
it
out,
collect
it
usually
happen
the
same
day.
We
can
turn
it
around.
Like
I
said,
within
48
to
72
hours,
you
can
have
funding
in
your
account
to
help
your
business.
B
C
A
B
Going
through
our
strategic
plan
actually
and
we're
looking
at
some
of
the
products
that
we
have
again
we're
talking
to
the
community,
we're
talking
to
business
owners,
you
know
we're
hearing
what
they
need
and
we're
putting
things
together.
You
know,
so
it's
always
evolving
on
how
we
can
do
things
to
simplify
things
and
to
get
money
and
resources
out
to
these
communities.
A
B
Right,
so
what
we
try
to
do
you
know
again,
you
got
the
economy,
you
know
we.
We
actually
go
to
business
owners,
we're
in
the
community,
knocking
on
the
doors
talking
to
them.
Asking
them
like
you
know,
hey,
you
know.
What
are
you
going
through?
You
know
what
keeps
you
up
at
night
and
you
know
we
go
back
and
we
talk
and
we
get.
You
know
we
go
back
to
the
drawing
board
at
the
end
of
the
day.
B
B
B
A
D
A
A
Oasa
serves
as
the
city
of
newark's
liaison
with
the
port
authority
and
of
new
york
and
new
jersey.
The
oaasa
also
negotiates
with
the
pa
nyng,
which
is
new
york
and
new
jersey
port
authority
to
include
minority
workforce
participation,
language
in
procurement
in
capital
projects,
as
well
as
strategies
to
increase
mwbe
local
participation.
E
Well,
man
first,
I
would
like
to
thank,
I
mean
you
mentioned
some
things
in
the
bio
part.
I'd
like
to
thank
our
mayor,
the
honorable
rasheed
baraka,
for
at
least
seeing
in
me
the
potential
at
least
have
taken
a
chance
for
me
to
to
spearhead
things
that
some
of
his
initiatives,
so
the
city
of
newark,
is
actually
one
of
the
oldest
cities
in
the
country,
the
united
states.
It
is
the
capital
of
the
state
of
new
jersey.
A
A
E
So
the
mayor
being
that
he's
he's
the
son
of
native
son
of
newark,
he
wants
to
see
you
know,
folks
that
are
from
the
city
benefit
from
the
the
construction
and
the
projects
that
go
on
in
the
city.
So
he's
like
look
man.
I
want
you
to
really
monitor,
monitor
to
make
sure
that
our
folks
are
getting
the
best
opportunities
that
they
can
get.
E
We
we
put
it
in
our
workforce,
development
and
and
also
in
our
business
development
part.
It
didn't
go
through
the
city's
normal
challenge,
because
you
know
I
would
have
got
sucked
up
in
the
city's
general
fund,
so
it
went
through
the
workforce
development
and
when
we
found
that
in
some
cases
there
were
some
contractors
that
weren't
confront
compliant
based
on
the
local
and
women
and
minority
participation
on
the
workforce
side,
we
said
we
need
to
strengthen
that.
E
What
were
some
of
the
reasons
some
of
them,
they
didn't
have
their
osha
30,
some
of
them
didn't
they,
their
union
books
were
not
paid.
So
we
we
in
some
cases
we
paid
folks
to
get
their
union
dues
paid
so
that
they
can
be
in
good
standing.
In
other
cases,
we
held
our
own
osha
30
classes,
and
it
was
free.
It
was
free
to
the
residents
of
the
city
of
north
and
we
we
were
able
to
get
at
least
100
people
of
their
osha
30.
A
E
Well,
actually,
the
unions
they
were,
they
were
okay
with
it
because
of
course
they
they.
They
want
their
members
to
to
pay
their
dues.
So
we
were
if
we
were
offering
like
well.
Here's
david
mohammed,
for
example,
he's
a
plumber
and
he's
not
in
good
standing,
for
whatever
reason
he
didn't
his
dues
are
not
up
to
too
too
date.
E
We
want
the
workforce
to
really
reflect
the
what
the
city
of
newark
looks
like
so
our
relationship.
You
know
we
just
maintain
open
lines
of
communication
with
the
unions
we
found
that
like
in
like
in
another
in
other
cities
and
other
places
that
the
the
less
skilled,
the
labor
union,
then
you
that
it's
it
tends
to
be
the
darker.
E
You
know
I
mean
and
that's
where
you
find
most
of
the
minorities,
so
you
know
we
were
directing
our
conversations
to
the
more
skilled
craftsmen,
electricians,
plumbers,
iron
workers,
heavy
equipment
operators
and
trying
to
address
those
types
of
disparities
there.
So
those
those
conversations
are
ongoing.
A
E
So
we
do
us
when
it
comes
to
mbe
minority
business
enterprise,
women,
business
enterprise.
We
have.
We
have
an
ordinance
affirmative
action,
ordinance
that
we
have
that
that
specifically
states
that,
if
there's
a
project
that
the
base
of
it
is
25
percent,
minority,
business,
enterprise
participation,
seven
percent
women,
business
enterprise
participation
when
and
and
that's
pretty
straightforward
when
it
comes
to
city
projects,
public
works
projects
when
it
comes
to
tax
abated
projects,
those
that
are
for
development
of
residential
and
folks
are
bringing
their
own
private
money.
E
Then
those
those
percentages
are
negotiated
and
they
can
range
from
30
mbe
participation
to
40,
mbe,
participation
and
and
those
are
usually
the
most
challenging,
because
if
you
have
those
high
percentages
as
well
as
it
being
a
union
project,
then
getting
the
participation
from
minority
business
enterprises
who
are
first,
who
signatory
that's
one
challenge
as
well
as
the
workforce
and
them
having
a
workforce.
That's
union.
A
A
How
are
you
able
to
negotiate
participation
on
those
particular
contracts,
specifically
when
it's
kind
of
like
a
public
private
type
of
partnership?
I
mean
you
know
now
we're
getting
kind
of
complex
here,
because
now
we
have
the
union.
Now
we
have
the
city
of
new
york
in
involved,
and
then
we
have
the
developer
in
in
this
whole
mix
here.
So
it's
kind
of
like
a
dance.
A
So
how
are
you
able
to
kind
of
negotiate
that
when
you
have
to
be
signatory
to
be
on
this
project
or
no
you're
able
to
kind
of
do
a
collective
bargaining
agreement
or
what
have
you
so
I'ma?
Let
you
go
ahead
and
explain
that,
because
that's
it's
kind
of
complex
and
it's
kind
of
a
dance
on
three
parts
here.
E
Yeah
yeah
it
is,
and-
and
you
constantly
you
know,
dance
depending
on
what
song
is
on
you're
changing
your
dance
party.
So
so,
actually
credit
goes
to
the
acca.
The
american
contract
compliance
association,
which
you
and
I
attended
the
training
and
we
were
able
to
you,
know,
engage
with
folks
who
are
who
are
doing
things.
You
know
all
over
the
country
and
one
of
the
strategies
that
we
learned
was
when
it
comes
to
those
tax
abated
projects,
for
example,
those
are
negotiated
so
there's
room
to
to
make
some
adjustments.
E
They
have
to
to
do
things
as
far
as
the
union
and
then
it's
also
looking
into
those
mental
protege
relationships
or
those
joint
venture
relationships.
Where
you
have
a
a
minority,
sub
or
local
sub,
that's
not
union
signatory,
but
they'll
join
on
to
someone
who
or
someone
else
who
is
and
that
of
that,
that
kind
of
releases
a
sponsorship
with
them.
So
you
know
that
that's
those
are
some
of
the
things.
E
Of
course
you
know
it
gets
challenging
because
you
have
in
some
areas
where,
where
the
developers
and
even
the
unions,
you
know
they
may
not
like
it,
but
that's
when
it
all
comes
down
to
the
the
conversation.
And
then
you
have
multiple
unions
and
depending
on
which
union
it
is.
One
union
may
say:
well
we're
fine
with
it.
Another
union
may
say
well
we're
not
depending
on
the
specialty
so
or
the
crash.
A
So
I'm
glad
you
kind
of
lifted
up
a
few
things
and
I'm
just
going
to
kind
of
paraphrase
some
of
the
things
and
summarize
some
of
what
you
just
said.
One
part
we
can
look
at
unbundling
the
whole
project
for
one
and
two.
We
could
have
a
minority
kind
of
set
aside
for
certain
portions
of
the
project
where
you
could
get
maximum
participation
on
the
project
and
then
the
third
piece
you
mentioned
was
the
mentor
protege.
A
So
you
could
provide
incentive
for
the
prime
to
bring
on
a
minority
business
or
women,
business
or
veteran
business
on
that
particular
piece
to
get
maximum
participation
on
a
project.
So
I
mean
those
are
kind
of
different
strategies
within
it
within
a
project
itself
among
all
three
entities,
so
we're
going
to
switch
and
I'm
going
to
move
you
over.
You
know
our
conversation
over
to
the
airport
and
seaport
thing.
Well,
no,
no!
A
We're
going
to
stay
in
the
city
of
newark
with
this
one,
because
there's
a
project
that
you
did
that
I
want
the
inclusion
counts
audience
to
hear
about
because
you
dealt
with
the
lead
line,
replacement
project
and
you've
replaced.
18
000
lead
lines
in
the
city
of
new
york
in
in
a
matter
of
three
years,
and
so
I
want
you
to
talk
about
that
process
and
how
you
were
able
to
get
participation
on
it
and
to
get
it
done
in
in
such
a
short
time.
E
Well,
you
know
the
city
of
newark,
as
I
mentioned,
being
one
of
the
the
oldest
cities
in
the
country.
That
means
our
infrastructure
is
really
really
old
and
we
had
like
every
other
city.
You
get
the
department
of
environmental
protection.
You
know
you
have
to
check
your
water
lead
levels
and
we
found
that
there
were
issues
with
our
with
land
being
in
our
and
our
less
service
lines.
So
the
water
itself
was
good
coming
from
the
source,
but
the
the
lines
that
lead
from
the
street
to
a
person's
home.
E
They
were
led
pipes,
so
the
city
had
to
do
something.
So
we
started
giving
out
water
until
we
can.
We
can
get
it
fixed,
so
the
mayor
said:
okay,
we
need
to
just
outright
just
replace
all
of
the
lines
so
that
at
first
came
with
who's,
gonna
pay
for
it,
so
it
was
like
we
had
to
go
to
the
state,
because
the
state
said
you
couldn't
use
public
funds
to
do
home
improvement,
so
they
they
switched
that
because
of
the
need
so
fast
forward.
E
The
city
was
able
to
borrow
money
from
the
county
to
replace
18
000
service
lines.
It
would
have
it
would
have
taken
six
to
ten
years
to
do
now.
We're
about
we
create
we're
between
seven.
Seventeen
thousand
five
hundred
and
eighteen
thousand
lead
lines
that
we've
that
we've
already
completed
in
a
two
year
period
and
what
happened
was
they
made
an
emergency
portion
of
that
contract?
They
made
they
made
an
emergency
portion
of
that
project,
so
in
that
came
80
million
dollars.
E
So
in
that
contract,
those
who
were
the
vendors,
what
was
written
in
the
contract
was
one
you
had
to
have
a
at
least
12
newark
minority
apprentices
on
that
project
and-
and
we
had
two
vendors,
so
that
was
a
total
of
24.,
then
also
those
goals
of
25,
nbe
and
wbe
and,
of
course,
has
been
our
standard
policy.
You
had
to
list
the
the
mbes
when
you
submitted
your
proposal
or
your
proposal
would
be
rejected.
E
E
So
we
wrote
the
letter
to
the
department
of
labor.
The
union
was
like
we're
with
it.
No
problem
as
long
as
we're
guaranteed
the
work.
We
have
no
problem
bringing
some
folks
on.
They
went
through
a
two-week
training
program
and
then
those
folks
were
ready
to
go
on
the
street,
and
then
we
had
one
story
sticks
out.
There
was
a
gentleman
by
the
name
of
chris
noble
he's,
a
guy
that
he
was
an
ex-offender.
E
You
know
he
came
home.
He
got
menial
jobs,
making
minimum
wage
doing
labor
jobs.
So
I
was
like
hey
chris
man.
This
opportunity
is
coming.
You
want
to
take
advantage
next
thing.
I
know
chris
is
in
the
class
chris
comes
out,
and
since
I
had
to
review
the
certified
payrolls,
I'm
looking
at
what
these
guys
get
paid
and
they're
getting
like
1800
to
2
000
per
week.
Rick,
I
don't
know
what
would
you
and
I
thought
about
it
if
I
wasn't
as
old
as
I
was,
and
had
these
old
football
injuries
man?
E
E
Now
he's
tearing
up
the
streets
and
he's
helping
to
replace
the
less
service
lines
and-
and-
and
I
just
saw
something
chris
did
with
the
mayor-
where
he's
about
to
open
up
his
own
business
and
those
are
the
types
of
stories
because
it's
reinvestment
back
into
the
community,
now
he's
he
works
in
his
community.
He
lives
in
his
community.
He
shops
in
his
community
and
he
wants
to
start
a
business
in
his
community.
Then,
from
the
from
the
business
participation
point.
What
we
did
was
we
had
our
own
outreach.
E
E
Is
there
they're
going
to
tell
you
their
scope
of
work
and
then
they'll
tell
you
how
to
bid
for
it,
and
so
some
folks
got
opportunities
and
there
was
even
one
aspect
of
the
contract.
That
was
not
even
you
know
factored
in
and
that's
a
cleaning
service.
So
a
lady
shows
up
and
she's,
not
a
plumber
she's,
not
she's,
not
an
operating
engineer,
she's,
not
a
laborer.
She
just
has
a
cleaning
company,
she
showed
up
and
she
raised
her
hand
well
any
opportunities
for
cleaning
and
they
looked
around.
E
They
were
like
no,
but
then,
as
the
contract
went
on,
they
found
that
the
the
portion
of
the
lead
work
that
they
were
doing
in
people's
homes.
They
needed
someone
to
come
clean
up,
so
she
got
like
a
7
000
contract.
Doing
that
and
more
importantly,
she
developed
a
relationship
with
that
particular
general
contractor.
E
A
I
mean
it
was
the
right
place
at
the
right
time.
For
that
you
know
absolutely,
and
you
know
that's
a
great
story
david,
because
you
figure,
you
know
it's
an
investment
in
people,
but
it's
also
investment
in
place,
and
you
know,
as
far
as
the
city
of
pittsburgh,
we
have
that
p4,
you
know
place
people
performance
and
planet.
You
know
the
mayor
came
on
board
in
2014.
With
that
part,
it's
called
p4
and
basically
that's
a
testament
which
you
just
did
of
people
in
place,
but
also
the
investment
back
into
the
community.
A
You
know
and
the
the
the
the
ex-offender
you
know
coming
back
in
and
servicing
his
neighborhood
and
stayed
in
his
neighborhood
with
the
commitment
that
he
had
to
start
a
business.
I
mean
that's
a
tremendous
story.
I
think
you
need
to
be
commended
by
that,
because
you
shared
that
article
with
me-
and
you
know,
that
is
definitely
what
we
need
to
do
in
in
the
spaces
that
we
operate
in
in
contract
compliance
providing
that
opportunity
for
people.
A
You
got
a
dbe
certification
that
needs
to
be
done,
which
is
different
from
mbe
and
wbe,
and
you
share
with
me
some
of
the
things
that
you
did
some
of
the
strategies
you
use
to
get
around
some
of
those
things
and
then
some
things
you
you're
still
working
on.
So
I
want
you
to
share
that
with
our
inclusion
council
viewers
here.
E
So,
yes,
I
mean
you're,
absolutely
correct
that
that
the
the
dbe
certification
is
much
different
than
getting
a
state
of
new
jersey,
nbe,
certification
and
and
in
the
city
of
newark.
We
we,
we
didn't,
really
have
a
lot
of
federal
projects
with
which
we
cried
the
dpe.
So
now
we're
going
back
to
some
of
our
folks
that
have
gotten
the
mbe
and
wbe
certification
with
the
state
we're
like
look
the
port
authority
of
new
york
and
new
jersey.
They
have
these
capital
projects
they're
about
to
do
the
runway.
E
That
project
is
redo
a
runway.
That
project
is
a
100
million
dollar
project.
Then
they're
gonna
do
a
50
million
dollar
project.
Then
they
have
the.
They
were
doing
one
of
the
bridges
that
leads
into
the
airport
or
the
seaport.
That's
a
hundred
million
dollar
project.
They
have
a
two
billion
dollar
project
for
the
air.
The
air
train
that
they're
doing-
and
this
is
just
that
two
billion
dollar
project-
is
probably
more
than
that.
One
project
is
more
than
maybe
seven
projects
that
I've
seen
when
I
was
in
affirmative
action
put
together.
E
So
so
now
it's
like
folks.
You
need
to
get
take
advantage
of
the
opportunities
that
are
here
at
the
that
that
the
port
authority
is
doing
so.
Some
of
the
strategies
is
that
working
with
a
young
lady
by
the
name
of
civil
boss,
who's
on
the
port
side
and
that's
contacting,
is
even
if
we
got
to
go
visit
knock
on
doors,
our
local
businesses,
as
well
as
the
minority
and
women
business
enterprises
and
say,
hey
here-
are
some
information
you
need.
E
E
Trying
to
connect
people
to
the
information
and
the
information
is
is
transferable,
because
if
they
don't
even
work
on
the
port,
they
can
use
that
same
information
when
they're
doing
work
within
the
city
on
their
own
private
projects.
So
so
the
outreach
portion
is
has
been
one
of
my
my
contributions
also
when
it
comes
to
when
you
speak
of
inclusion
and
it
counts.
Inclusion
from
the
from
the
onset
of
when
the
project
is
is
is
even
before
it
goes
public.
E
A
A
E
E
Also
the
contract
awards.
You
want
to
be
at
the
table.
That's
what
inclusion
means
to
me.
It
doesn't
necessarily
always
mean
just
because
I
I
represent
some
diversity
and
I'm
at
the
table
that
that's
enough.
No
inclusion
means
having
equitable
participation,
having
my
thoughts
and
ideas
or
our
thoughts
and
ideas
at
every
stage,
so
that
those
folks
that
we
represent
those
voices
that
are
not
at
the
table
that
their
voices
are
heard
and
included
by
us
being
represented
here.
E
E
Yeah,
I
know
man
and
you
know
I
guess
you
got
a
little
bit
more
grade,
but
I
understand
that
comes
with
wisdom.
Man.
Thank
you
for
everything.
You
know
that
that
that
you've
shared
with
me
over
the
years
since
we've
been
meeting
and
ideas
and
exchanges
man
that
can
help
us
in
the
city
of
newark.
I
know
you've
even
referred
some
folks
to
us
that
that
some
roundabout
wave
found
their
way
to
pittsburgh
and
and
they're
in
this
area,
and
I
thank
you
for
that.
Man.
E
C
C
A
You,
our
last
and
final
guest
today
for
inclusion
counts,
is
jessica.
Bergen
senior,
vice
president
of
hope,
innovation
and
learning
for
operation
hope
jessica,
currently
manages
the
one
million
black
business
initiative,
powered
by
operation,
hope
and
shopify
operation
hope
is
a
non-profit
purpose
organization
working
to
disrupt
poverty
and
empower
inclusion
for
low
and
moderate
income
youth
in
adults.
A
A
Well,
thanks
for
coming
on,
you
know,
while
we
were
kind
of
doing
our
prep
call
a
couple
days
ago,
I
had
an
opportunity
to
look
at
your
bio
and
it's
a
very
interesting
bio,
because
you
were
a
teacher
before
you
were
in
education,
and
I
wanted
to
give
you
the
space
and
opportunity
to
talk
about
your
journey
to
one
hope.
You
know
you,
you
know
to
make
that
transition
and
out
there.
I
know
that,
there's
an
interesting
story
in
there
you
used
to
work
at
a
ymca.
A
F
Yes,
I
would
love
to
it,
isn't
it
is
a
winding
path
and
I'm
a
big
believer-
and
you
know,
following
the
path
that
is,
has
been
laid
before
me
and
just
you
know,
don't
ask
questions
just
jump
in
so
I
did
start
off
as
a
classroom
teacher
for
children
with
special
needs,
and
I
thought
for
sure
this
is
what
I
was
going
to
do
forever
and
that's
what
my
mom
did.
My
mom
was
a
classroom
teacher
and
I
thought
this
is
it.
F
The
explanation
was:
is
that
oh
black
and
brown
families
they're
not
as
involved
in
schooling
and
all
that
that
didn't
that
didn't
make
sense
to
me
that
didn't
tie
together
for
me,
because
I
had
amazing
parents
who
were
incredibly
involved,
but
they
didn't
have
the
resources
that
some
of
the
other
families
had.
So
I
started
asking
questions
and
that
led
me
to
get
my
doctorate
degree
in
special
education
with
a
focus
on
adult
learning.
F
So
I
worked
at
the
department
of
education
in
georgia
and
I
headed
up
a
statewide
program
to
provide
access,
educational
access,
services
to
people
who
lived
outside
of
metro
atlanta
and
again
started.
Asking
questions
about
you
know:
why
is
it
that
some
of
my
families
have
support
and
research
and
access,
and
some
of
them
don't?
F
And
even
in
rural
georgia,
where
we
had
mostly
white
families
that
were
lower
income
or
just
you
know
further
away
from
cities
they
also
didn't
have
access,
and
so
what
the
work
I
did
with
head
start
as
well
at
the
ymca
of
metro
atlanta.
This
all
has
led
me,
I
think,
into
a
path
to
hope
which
is
essentially
you
know.
F
Big
issues
like
education
and
poverty
cannot
be
solved
with
one
person.
One
solution,
one,
you
know
intervention
big
issues
like
education
and
poverty
are
multifaceted
issues
that
a
lot
of
folks
have
to
work
together
around
and
so
much
of
it
comes
down
to
economic,
empowerment,
housing
in
particular,
and
these
have
huge
effects
on
education.
Just
from
the
perspective
of
consistency
and
making
sure
that
your
child
can
get
on
the
same
bus
every
day
to
go
to
the
same
school.
F
This
is
what
I
wanted
to
know
about
like
how
can
I
help
families
provide
stability
around
education
if
they
don't
have
housing
or
if
they
don't
know
how
they're
going
to
pay
their
bills
and
when
we
think
from
an
education
perspective,
when
we
think
about
stability
for
families,
housing,
shelter,
paying
bills,
those
are
basic
needs,
and
parents
really
can't
pay
attention
to
that
homework
assignment
or
those
other
things
that
you
know.
Schools
are
asking
them
to
do
if,
if
they
don't
have
those
basic
needs
met.
F
So
the
the
work
that
I
do
for
operation
hope
is
twofold.
One
is
around
learning
so
helping
our
internal
learning
and
external
learning
for
our
clients,
where
I'm
bringing
in
my
education
background
as
it
relates
to
that,
and
then
the
the
one
million
black
businesses
is
an
initiative
that
I
I'll
talk
more
about
in
a
minute.
F
But
my
connection
to
that
is
that
idea
of
taking
a
system
addressing
a
systems
issue
and
creating
public
and
private
partnerships,
and
just
looking
at
it
from
that
10
10,
000,
foot
view
and
saying:
okay,
this
is
not
just
about
for
for
black
businesses,
it's
not
just
about
teaching
them,
how
to
start
a
business,
because
there's
systemic
barriers
in
place
that
prevent
them
from
being
able
to
get
where
they
need
to
go.
So,
even
if
I
throw
business
learning
at
them,
that's
not
going
to
be
enough
if
they
don't
have
access
to
capital.
F
F
You
know
helping
build
up
this
network
of
structure
and
sustainability
so
that
as
we're
bringing
in
black
businesses
into
the
program,
we're
not
just
teaching
them
we're,
also
providing
some
support
around
that
that
structure
in
that
system,
by
removing
barriers
and
making
sure
they
have
access
to
capital,
making
sure
that
they
have
the
support
mentorship
sponsors
that
they
need
so
on
and
so
forth.
So
that's
that's
my
journey
and
I
really
feel
like
every
time
I
decided
I'm
gonna,
I'm
gonna
do
this.
I'm
gonna
go
in
this
direction.
F
I
got
pulled
someplace
else,
but
a
lot
of
it
is
about
my
curiosity
and
wanting
to
find
out
why
all
of
these
things
are
are
happening
and
really
you
know
if
we
provide
economic
empowerment
for
any
family,
but
especially
our
vulnerable
families
that
has
such
a
ripple
effect
on
everything,
including
education
and
housing,
and
but
the
the
generational
effects
that
that
has
for
black
families
is
just
I
mean
that's
just
it's
it's.
You
can't
even
count
that
we
can't
put
it
down
on
paper.
It's
just
such
a
huge
opportunity
right
now.
A
You
know
homeowner
assistance
and
then
now
you
have
that
component,
but
now
you're
moving
into
you
know
a
million
black
businesses
and
I'm
gonna
ask
the
question.
You
know
what
was
chairman
bryant's
view
in
in
making
this
particular
thing
happen
and
really
focusing
on
a
million
black
businesses
and
and
creating
these
partnerships
around
the
country.
F
You
know
I
can't
speak
for
him,
but
I
can
say
what
I
heard
him
say,
which
was
something
that
inspired
me,
which
is
that
you
know
this
is
the
time
now
for
people
to
really
kind
of
put
put
action
to
what
you
know.
What
what
they're
talking
about
when
it
comes
to
social
justice,
social
justice,
from
an
economic
from
an
economic
empowerment
view
means
that
companies
are
thinking
about
how
what
their
policies
their
their
diversity,
inclusion,
equity
and
inclusion
policies
are.
It
means
investing
in
communities,
it
means
supporting
black
and
minority
business
owners.
F
It
means
supporting
poor
and
rural
white,
who
whites,
who
haven't
had
opportunities
to
in
the
same
way
that
others
have,
and
so,
when
I
hear
him
talk
about
this
and
it
the
the
big
part
about
it
that
was
so
inspiring
for
me
was
that
you
know
this
is
a
completely
different
perspective
from
where
I
come
from
that
economic
empowerment
as
it
relates
to
civil
rights.
What
is
that
you
know?
F
F
They
want
to
do
something
that
is
sustainable,
not
something
that
I'm
just
going
to
throw
a
couple
dollars
at
and-
and
you
know,
say,
check
I've
done
my
d
e
and
I
thing
for
the
month
or
for
the
year
they're
they
want
things
that
are
going
to
be
sustainable
and
disruptive
to
the
current
system.
Right.
F
F
A
F
So
one
million
black
business
initiative
is
to
create
new,
and
so
these
are
I'm
also
talking
about
eligibility
here
for
for
those
who
are
interested
new
businesses,
new
business
owners.
So
anyone
who
has
a
dream
and
a
hope
and
a
prayer
that
they
want
to
open
up
or
start
a
new
business
as
well
as
existing
business
owners
and
who
may
have
been
affected
by
the
pandemic
or
they're
looking
to
create
some
more
financial
stability
and
then
even
successful
business
owners
who
want
to
see
their
business
grow.
F
So
you
have
opportunities
for
business
learning,
help
with
developing
a
business
plan,
there's
opportunities
for
one-on-one
coaching,
so
you
can
get
one-on-one
coaches
from
our
small
business
coaches,
but
you
can
also
get
one-on-one
coaching
from
our
volunteers.
So
we
have
expert
level
volunteers
who
are
specialists
in
certain
areas
like
law,
legal
trademark.
F
Excuse
me,
tax
structure,
even
digital
support,
digital
strategies
that
we
pulled
in
through
sponsors
and
partners
who
want
to
provide
volunteer
hours,
and
then
you
also
have
a
group
cohort
opportunities
through
entrepreneurship,
training
programs
and
then,
and
a
lot
of
that
is
a
focus
for
new
and
start-up
businesses.
But
the
one
thing
I
want
to
say
that
is
would
be
great
for
for
growth,
businesses
or
existing
business
owners
who
want
to
create
more
sustainable.
F
A
more
sustainable
business
model
is
that
our
partnership
with
shopify
is
has
typically
has
a
14-day
trial
and
if
you're,
a
member
of
one
mbb
you're
eligible
for
120
day,
free
trial
sponsored
trial
and
you
have
the
ability
to
get
business
learning
cert
a
business
learning
certificate
through
that
program.
So
you
can
learn
about
digital
strategy,
e-commerce,
how
to
set
up
an
online
platform
how
to
create
a
web
presence
through
seo
search
engine.
Optimization.
F
All
of
these
pieces
come
with
the
package
of
signing
up
for
123
day
free
trial.
So
a
lot
of
the
black
businesses
who
are
thinking
about
you
know
maybe
they've
gotten
pretty
hit
pretty
hard
with
cobit
and
they're
thinking
about
developing
e-commerce
platform,
and
they
want
to
take
it
to
their
business
to
the
next
level
or
even
just
out
of
their
neighborhood,
and
they
want
to
go.
You
know,
go
national
with
their
product
or
international
with
their
product.
A
A
You
know
I
just
bought
a
car
a
couple
years
ago
and
I
went
to
the
dealer
and
basically
I
filled
out
an
application
and
multiple
lenders
popped
up
of
what
they
could
give
me
as
far
as
interest
rate
on
on
my
vehicle
does
operation
hope
is
kind
of
that
liaison
to
do
that
for
the
marketplace.
Is
there
a
negotiated
rate
or
a
flat
rate
with
the
partners.
F
As
of
right
now,
what
we're
doing
and-
and
I
I
have
dreams
of
doing
exactly
what
you
described,
but
I
it's
for
in
full
transparency.
Right
now,
today
we
are
conveners,
we're
conveners
of
folks
who
have
financial
products
who
they
are
targeting
towards
minority
and
low
and
moderate
income
business
owners,
and
we
can
help
the
client
in
two
ways.
One
help
them
prepare
their
application,
make
sure
that
they
have
all
the
pieces
that
they
need
in
order
to
have
a
viable
application
and
two
connect
them
with
different
partners.
F
F
There
are
several
grant
opportunities
and
competitions
that
are
running
right
now
that
they
can
apply
for
as
well.
So
the
other
capital
option
is
also
a
non-traditional
capital
option
through
shopify,
where,
if
you
set
up
an
e-commerce
store,
then
you
can
apply
for
a
capital
borrow
essentially
borrow
against.
F
F
It
is
a
product
that
is
offered
it's
not
a
grant.
It's
a
product,
that's
offered
through
shopify
called
capital,
but
it's
essentially
what
you
just
said.
You
establish
a
history
of
sales
and
then
you
can
borrow
against
the
future
sales
in
order
to
in
order
to
grow
your
business
so
yeah,
it's
a
non-traditional
way
to
go
about
getting
capital
that
you
don't
have
to
go
through
a
loan
process
for-
and
you
don't
have
to
you
know
be.
A
F
Yes,
yeah
operation
hope
has
had
a
long
history
with
financial
institutions
and
banks
partnering
with
financial
institutions
and
banks
through
our
hope
inside
program.
So
our
hope
inside
program
is
through
partnerships
with
financial
institutions,
where
we
have
a
financial
coach
that
is
essentially
inside
and
offers
a
financial
empowerment
courses
and
training
to
the
to
folks
who
are
part
of
that
banking
institute
so
that
they
can
provide.
F
We
have
these
partnerships
with
banking
institutions
who
are
interested
in
targeting
their
products,
loan
products
towards
low
and
moderate
income
communities
and
minority
business
owners,
and
so
they
have
opportunities
and
products
that
we
can
guide
clients
to
and
direct
clients
to
in
certain
areas,
especially
certain
municipalities,
where
we
can
say
okay.
This
is
a
this
is
a
product
or
loan
product
that
is
designed
specifically
for
minority
business
owners,
and
you
can
take
advantage
of
that.
B
A
F
F
That
we
collectively
us
black,
black
and
brown
boats
could
be
a
part
of
the
the
general
education
setting.
That's
my
background.
That's
my
history
that
we
could
be
a
part
of
that
that
we
could
be
included
in
that,
and
you
know,
having
had
the
experience
of
going
through
the
pandemic
and
having
had
the
experience
of
all
of
the
social
justice
uprising.
F
I
I
started
to
question
that
a
little
bit
and
say:
is
it
really
about
us
trying
to
get
into
this
space
or
is
it
about
us
building
our
own
spaces
and
not
necessarily,
you
know,
to
bring
back
segregation
but
to
build
our
own
spaces
and
empower
our
own
people
in
a
way
that
we
know
how?
And
so
this
is
another
reason
why
one
million
black
businesses,
the
initiative
appealed
to
me
because
I
was
having
this
sort
of
you
know-
question
that
was
rolling
around
in
my
head
around.
F
You
know
this
this
idea
of
and
I
went
to
an
hbcu,
so
I
know
what
this
feels
like
I'm
a
graduate
of
spelman
college,
so
I
know
what
it
feels
like
to
be
somewhere
where
I
don't
have
to
be
better
than
everyone
else,
and
I
don't
have
to
prove
myself
and
I
don't
have
to
explain
myself
and-
and
this
is
the
feeling
that
I
want
our
black
businesses,
our
black
business
owners,
to
know
that
this
is
a
place.
They
can
come.
It's
like
home.
It's
like
big,
mama's
house.
F
It's,
like
you
know
the
hbcu
that
you
know
sitting
in
a
classroom
not
having
to
explain
yourself
not
having
to
you
know,
say
more,
do
more
be
more
just
be,
who
you
are
provide,
provide
us
providing
services
to
you,
but
also
you
supporting
others.
So
you're
doing
what
you
know.
You're
you're,
passing
it
forward
to
other
business
owners
through
mentorship
programs,
you're
passing
it
forward
to
you,
know
new
entrepreneurs
and
new
business
startups
and
and
helping
people
get
the
services
that
they
need
in
their
communities,
and
so
for
me.
F
Inclusion
personally
on
a
personal
level
means
that
we
are
providing
those
safe
spaces
for
people
to
be
who
they
are
and
learn
the
way
that
they
need
to
learn
and
grow.
The
way
that
they
want
to
grow
and
and
pay
it
forward
to
the
next
generation
to
the
next
business
owner
to
to
our
children
and
our
grandchildren.
A
Well,
that's
great
reach
one
and
teach
one
and
be
your
unique
self,
while
you're
learning
in
the
process
with
people
that
care
and
love
about
and
love,
you
actually
thanks
again
jessica
for
being
on
the
show,
hopefully
we'll
be
able
to
collaborate
in
the
future.
You
know
far
as
the
city
of
pittsburgh
and
operation
hope
and
he.