I have tried to do a better job of telling people how much I appreciate them. When you can tell them how much they are “tap dancing on” your last nerve, you ought to also be able to share some love.
It was overwhelming for me to hear about the recent passing of Karen Watts Cross. We’ve known each other for the past decade and we’ve shared some special moments. We were also always complementing one another. I will miss her but I take solace in knowing we shared our appreciation for one another.
Which brings me to my truth.
I have so much love and respect for Rodney A. Brooks!
When the opportunity to share his words with the I Messenger Media family became available, I seized it and beginning today, you can read Rodney’s words right here! I met his wife, Dr. Sheila, in 1989 and she welcomed me into the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Communicators in a big way. She’s smart, stylish, loyal, passionate and supportive.
Enough about her, tho.
Through her I met Rodney, and I immediately had mad respect because he is also smart, stylish, loyal, passionate and supportive.
I respected his work because he was good, darned good, in an area that wasn’t considered sexy and headline grabbing unless you had a lot of it — money!
The author of the bestseller, “Fixing the Racial Wealth Gap: Racism & Discrimination Put Us Here. But This is How We Can Save Future Generations”, Rodney is the former deputy managing editor and personal finance and retirement columnist for USA Today.
Rodney realizes that financial literacy is an area where many are not as knowledgeable as they should be and he is not blaming them. There’s a reason and he breaks down the causes.
And while there are banks and other financial institutions that tout their financial literacy programs, there’s still a huge divide that was especially evident as we dealt with the pandemic and saw multi-million dollar corporations receiving stimulus checks while small businesses with less than 50 employees sought other relief or for some, shut their doors.
A huge shoutout to those that were able to pivot and weather the challenges, and there were many.
There were also others, who had they had a plan, and a relationship with a banking institution; would have been able to thrive or at least maintain.
The Small Business Administration does not have data on how many Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications were denied, but I know business owners who didn’t “waste” their time applying.
Just digest this fact: there were companies that returned a total of $436 million in PPP loans!
So there is some good to come out of social media, putting people on blast and holding them accountable!
Shame on those who received and kept the money although they knew better. Then too, shame also on the fraudulent who benefited from several COVID relief programs to the tune of $100 billion, according to the U.S. Secret Service and CNBC.
Maybe just maybe should the occasion ever arise again, they will be in a better position, with the assistance of Rodney!
So tune in every week and I am sure you will grow with the knowledge that Rodney shares. We are also hoping that we will be able to bring Rodney to town from time to time. He is a trusted voice with a wealth of experience and he knows how to relate.
Can you dig it?
