It’s one of the more shocking stats that exist in America: Despite trillions in spending power, minorities are at the bottom when it comes to wealth. As of 2020, there’s a wealth gap that will take 228 years to close.
That said. There’s currently a movement on social media where a handful of Instagram channels provide real financial and wealth-building advice, particularly in the black community.
We spoke to the founders of one of our favorite channels, @BlackWealthRenaissance.
Ex-roommates in college, Jalen Clark, David Bellard, Jared Spiller and Kelly Rhodes started this as a passion project; they’ve since grown this 209K+ followers in about a year, with one of the most engaging audience on the ‘Gram.
In this two-part Q&A, they break down the importance of wealth building, their mission and why it’s important to make your own table.
(Editor’s note: This interview was done by WealthLAB editor-in-chief/real estate developer Philip Michael.)
Congrats on all your success. In such a short time. So tell people. What is Black Wealth Renaissance?
Jared: Black Wealth Renaissance is a movement. Our goal is to normalize the topics and conversations around wealth growth and educate African American people through education and awareness through social media.
We will educate as many people as we can reach on ways to achieve financial freedom and positive examples of people who have or are on their way to financial freedom.
David: Like Jared said, it’s a movement. We want to encourage those in our community to take action, educate themselves on finances and personal development, learn how to invest, understand the abundance of opportunity out there, and exhibit unity through practicing self love and group economics.
It’s really about embracing an abundance mindset and understanding that we can change our realities if we change our thinking.
So that’s the mission tied to the brand?
Kelly: Black Wealth Renaissance is more than just a brand; it’s part of a change in culture. We wanted to continue this movement on African Americans learning financial literacy because it’s not taught in schools.
And most parents don’t even understand some financial literacy concepts to be able to teach to their children. So we created this brand to generate a space where everyone can learn how to build generational wealth.
It’s a really cool name, too.
Jalen: Black Wealth Renaissance is more than just a catchy name or an Instagram account. We are seeing a time of enlightenment in our community—as well as culture—so we decided to highlight the positive energy and impact that is currently happening around us.
What are some of the core messages you guys are trying to push?
Jalen: We want to take away the stigma of money being the root of all evil within our community and show people how it can be a tool of empowerment and ever-lasting change.
That’s dope.
Jalen: To sum it up BWR is a shift from asking for what we want to going out and grabbing life by the horns and taking control of your own destiny.
How did the mission come about; why did you start it?
David: The mission began really more-so as a passion project. Jared, Kelly, and I were roommates in college and this is the type of stuff we were always talking about at home.
So how did it become an actual idea?
David: The idea of creating an IG page had been something that we floated around because it was a lot of knowledge that we were gaining that we wish we had known earlier—and wanted to share it with others.
One day while having one of our many conversations on the topics of culture and finance, I told Jared, “Man, let’s just go ahead and make the page” and here we are seven months later.
Jared: The mission came about after myself and my roommates, Kelly and David, read Rich Dad, Poor Dad.
A classic!
Jared: Yes. We began researching different avenues to create passive income and experimented with many different projects that we never knew would lead up to Black Wealth Renaissance.
One day, David and I were talking about different ideas and concepts we had heard from our favorite podcast and were talking about how we wanted to spread the word about financial freedom. And he told me to go ahead and start the page.
What happened next?
Jared: From there, we’ve grown as a team and continue to push towards our goal of educating as many people as possible and exposing them to various pathways to financial freedom.
Kelly: I noticed that Jared and David created a page that had some good inspirational quotes on it, but I did not fully understand what their goals were in the page.
I called them one night after I got an idea about creating a financial literacy page to help build a brand so we can start a podcast we always talked about.
They told me that was the plan of the page they already created and that they wanted me to be part of this movement.
I think the biggest thing for us growing like we did is from the beginning we focused on helping and teaching to better their financial situations that has always been—and will be—the goal.
What was your role in all this, Jalen?
Jalen: I was in the background when the page got started, but I was always there since David and I are such good friends; we’re constantly around each other, so I would hear him talking to Jared, discussing certain things and would give my input on the topics.
So it wasn’t your plan to join right away?
Eventually I couldn’t fight it because I was just as passionate about the things they were talking about and doing. Once the page started to really growing, I jumped on board and haven’t looked back.
I’ve said this publicly, my goal is to help create 100K new investors create generational wealth through real estate. What’s the goal behind your mission?
David: Short term goal is to encourage the conversation of building wealth, while providing tools and resources that can help people take actionable steps to achieve that wealth.
Long term goal is creating an education system to teach financial literacy to the black masses, providing a platform where we can come together to invest in each other’s companies.
To create economic independence in our community so that we can begin to implement the changes our people have long sought.
Instead of continually asking for it, because obviously that ain’t working. We want this to go down in history as the movement that changed the narrative of Black people in America.
Incredible. Love it.
Jared: To help people. We truly believe that through education we can change the narrative around a lot of problems and hurdles in the African American community.
Once we can change these types of conversations into everyday topics, a lot of things will change for our communities.
I always believed the number one difference between wealth in cultures is what’s discussed around the dinner table, those everyday conversions.
Jared: We just want to get the conversations around financial freedom normalized amongst the African American community.
Kelly: The goal behind Black Wealth Renaissance is to help—and teach—others how to create generational wealth. Most people would read that and think we want just everyone to have a ton of money—which is nice—but is not our specific goal.
It’s about understanding money. So many things that aren’t being taught.
Kelly: We want to have African Americans learn financial literacy so they can teach the next generation; so the learning curve for them won’t be as steep.
We also want people to be able to pass on businesses, land, real estate, etc. to the next generation, ultimately changing the financial status of not only them but their heritage.
Jalen: When I think on the mission, I think of it as “to normalize black wealth and share helpful resources and tips we believe will be useful in attaining and maintaining generational wealth.”
That’s it exactly.
Jalen: It creates an image in my head of more couples and families that look like the Carters and the Obamas.
I think instead of hearing this person is the “first black person to do such-and-such,” you’re going to hear more of this person was “the first person to ever do this.”
I always thought it was so limiting to say that.
Jalen: Right. We won’t have to compete for a spot at the table; we are creating our own table. And a spot at other tables will become an open invitation that we have the right to accept or refuse.
That’s true freedom right there.
Jalen: We want the topic of personal finance and financial education to be held and taught to the youth and elderly so it is no longer a taboo or sore subject within our community.
We want to break the social molding of “looking like money,” while struggling to pay the bills.
The mission is also deeper than creating wealth through money this mission is to become wealthy in all walks of life personal, mentality, collectively, and spiritual.
