Our Story
We seek to end American racism by building a billion-dollar social business
Why a "social business"?
The social sector, as it operates today, is not equipped to solve the pressing problems of Black America and Poor America
As valiant as their efforts are, we can no longer put the burden of ending poverty on the doorstep of resource-strapped human services organizations. If we as citizens care about creating a society where everyone has access to opportunity, it’s time for us to be bold.
We can't continue to wait on incremental change
“A social movement that only moves people is merely a revolt. A movement that changes both people and institutions is a revolution.”
―
This is still America
The founding fathers built a system that prioritized White shareholders. They also built a system where Black people were three-fifths a person. This was done after centuries of genocide of indigenous peoples. This is America. We are all cogs in the system that the founding fathers designed for us.
Public pleas for change have consistently been ignored
The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders was an 11-member Presidential Commission established by President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the causes of the 1967 race riots in the United States and to provide recommendations for the future.
Their report, issued in March 1968, argued that the riots were caused in large part by poor neighborhood conditions and limited labor market options facing Black Americans as a consequence of racism and rampant discrimination in housing and labor markets. These factors underlay the development and maintenance of the northern black “ghettos”, where residents endured extreme segregation, limited housing choices, concentrated poverty, and poor schools (Kerner, 1968)
White backlash to the findings of this commission helped to lay the foundation for the law-and-order campaign that elected Richard Nixon to the presidency later that year. Instead of considering the full weight of white prejudice, Americans endorsed rhetoric that called for arming police officers like soldiers and cracking down on crime in inner cities.
This continues today.
We need a scalable solution, yesterday
The Kerner Commission report is a framework that can serve as a starting point to self-fund our efforts. Their recommendations embraced three basic principles:
- Mount programs on a scale equal to the dimension of the problems
- Aim these programs for high impact in the immediate future in order to close the gap between promise and performance;
- Undertake new initiatives and experiments that can change the system of failure and frustration that now dominates the ghetto and weakens our society.
Things will stay the same until we change our collective approach
Black America must diversify its approach by investing social and political capital in our own institutions. We cannot continue to rely solely on American systems still built to maintain the standards set during slavery.
The financial success of "the chosen few" in our village is not good enough
A privileged few may have enough money to shield themselves from systemic racism, but true freedom escapes all of us.
- Are our children free to play in the park with a toy gun like other Americans?
- Are we free to walk home at night with Skittles and an iced tea like other Americans?
- Are we free to speak our mind to a police officer like other Americans?
- Are we free to vote without having to deal with adverse circumstances?
- Are we free to protest for our human rights like other Americans?
- Are we free to breathe easy as we pass the police parked on the side of the highway?
You don’t search your entire life for something you already have. And we’ve been searching, and searching, and searching.
Money is needed to fund substantive change
“We have the courage in our ranks, we have the skill and capacity. We lack most desperately funds to organize and educate. To do a major job we need your help in this struggle for citizenship. Our common desire for Constitutional rights can be realized now if contributions reach us now.
Your investment in Negro suffrage will yield dividends in a vibrant democratic life for both Negro and White, Jew and Gentile. I hopefully await your supporting hand to launch to the next great surge forward.”
―
The social business market segment can transform our modern economy
Profit can fund change.
The Black America Foundation is the face of a social business ecosystem that intentionally centers the needs of Black America and is designed to create an environment for us to succeed through market-based, community-based, and advocacy based initiatives.
The Black America Foundation uplifts our community by fostering economic prosperity, addressing the root causes of criminal injustice, closing the Black-White health and wealth gap, eliminating external education barriers and doggedly fighting against our political and moral adversaries with unguarded honest candor while still promoting joy, love and happiness. The Black America Foundation pools funds from social investors around the world to create spaces and opportunities that promote and explore Black excellence.
Substantive change for Black lives is a balance of activism, fundraising, direct political advocacy, systems building, community organizing and media representation.
Impactful change requires intentional collaboration. Together, we can solve our complex problems
The Black America Foundation proactively partners with organizations already doing good work without intentionally duplicating efforts. No-one has all the necessary knowledge – No-one can sustain change alone. In true collaboration, we acknowledge that the solution can only be created if we work together.
How can we drastically change our generational narrative?
Mental Health Stigma
Reduce the stigma of mental health in our communities by exploring the online and mobile therapy model as an entry point and community mental health centers as the destination point.
Patriarchy
Create space for the Black Women's freedom movement. Engage the experts on how to stamp out misogyny, sexism, and male chauvinism from our community through education, media, and community networks. Mobilize the entire village to support the entire village so freedom can be unlocked for all.
Transphobia and Homophobia
Engage the experts on how to address the deep and persistent issues around transphobia and homophobia that exist in our village. Mobilize the entire village to support the entire village so freedom can be unlocked for all.
Intra-Village Distrust, Adversarialism, Classism, Elitism, Black Shaming, and Xenophobia
Engage the entire village on how to build community and family structures since we have only fought together. Learn to live together so we can thrive together.
Damage from Hopelessness, Helplessness, Worthlessness, Bitterness, Brokenness, Shame, Perceived Inferiority, Self-Hatred
Provide opportunities so the hopeless have reason to hope
Help those that need to be helped
Affirm the worth of all in the village
Disprove the notion of inferiority in ignant fashion
An Absence of Economic Prosperity
Increase our wealth by pioneering a shared-wealth business model, building hustler micro-economies, investing directly into our neighborhoods and intentionally originating and engineering new Black domestic economies and spaces. Train and fund a new generation of business owners focused on providing phenomenal hospitality options.
Financial Under-Servicing
Address the financial under-servicing in our communities by promoting the existing #BankBlack movement and making stake investments in Black-owned banks.
Juvenile Delinquency
Curb juvenile delinquency by offering year-round paid youth fellowships.
Isolation of the Incarcerated
Address the incarceration-poverty problem by employing prisoners, paying market wages, and pushing for reforms to reconnect the incarcerated to the village.
Police Misconduct and Lack of Accountability
Lessen the need for traditional policing by organizing and/or funding neighborhood clubs. Test and pioneer new public safety models.
Recidivism
Reduce recidivism by aggressively funding programs for the formerly incarcerated.
Legal Predators
Combat the legal predatory environment by developing a corps-style fellowship to offer premium legal aid assistance.
Unconscious Racial Bias in Police Departments
Help the law enforcement community manage their unconscious bias and recognize Black humanity by creating a training company to provide law enforcement training.
Racial Health Disparities
Increase access to care by creating vertically integrated care-delivery models to serve the urban and rural poor. Reduce the reliance on emergency room healthcare by using the concierge primary care medical practice model to increase health and well-being. Operate community health urgent care centers as an entry point.
Negative Police Encounters
Decrease negative police encounters by partnering with Flex Your Rights to develop police life-defense courses for our youth and adults.
Infectious Violence
Save lives by adopting and funding Cure Violence's vision for stopping the spread of violence.
Primary Care Doctor Shortage
Address the shortage of primary care physicians in our neighborhoods by providing student loan pay-off bonuses to attract the best medical talent.
Unhappiness
Create spaces where we can breathe easy and fully be ourselves in professional and recreational settings. Create new technologies, products, and services where our needs as customers are front and center.
Gun Violence
Reduce gun violence by funding moonshot projects to develop a robust market for non-lethal self-defense products. Publicly and happily fund opponents of the National Rifle Association.
Chronic Stress
Strengthen our village by partnering with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence to elevate the study of mindfulness in our community spaces. Increase resilience. Improve emotional control.
Lack of Fully Resourced Community Spaces
Help strengthen communities by opening, operating, and renovating community and recreation centers that provide academic coaching and mentorship.
School Attendance
Increase attendance rates by providing local emergency housing and employment for parents of school-aged children. Decrease absence rates by developing community ridesharing networks.
Systemic Racism
Work to eliminate systemic racism by funding the creation of a Black American Legislative Exchange Council to draft and share model city, state, and national legislation for distribution and adoption.
Environmental Racism
Address systemic environmental racism by funding organizations and candidates fighting for environmental justice.
Digital Divide
Address the digital divide through the creation of sliding scale connection products.
Hunger
Curb hunger and decrease food deserts by partnering with community centers and expanding sliding scale grocery stores.
Lack of Media Representation
Build a Black Public Broadcasting System that will intentionally and simultaneously celebrate our togetherness and individualness.
Unaffordable Housing
Create programming and institutions to accelerate Black homeownership. Expand emergency housing.
We must be fearless
Even though we’re taking the advice of dominant society – the “go solve your own problems” advice – we will still be judged. We’ll be accused of reverse racism. We’ll be accused of segregation. Some will say that it’s racist to intentionally direct efforts toward one group of people.
Racism is a system. White Supremacy is that system. Black Supremacy has never existed. So reverse-racism does not exist.
What could our Wakanda look like?
This vision requires financial resources.
Securing those financial resources is the next step.
“The nation has been warned by the President’s Commission that our society faces catastrophic division in an approaching doomsday if the country does not act. We have, through this non-violent action, an opportunity to avoid a national disaster and to create a new spirit of harmony.”
Please send the maximum contribution in this crisis year that your circumstances permit. While we are engaged in our Washington project we will also be continuing our far-flung work in voter registration, citizenship education and other activities. We can, together, write another luminous moral chapter in American history. All of us are on trial in this troubled hour, but time still permits us to meet the future with a clear conscience. Please mail your check today to fill tomorrow with optimism and hope.”
―
You are a Benefactor.
Consider making a mustard seed commitment to financially support this important effort by supporting Black Giving Month.
Just like our grandmothers used to do when a neighbor had a need, when they would take money out of their own pocketbooks for someone else, when the strong women who raised us would leverage the resources of the community to help an individual, to support each other – this has always been our culture, and we want to come together to lift each other up and to have this support and impact on a larger scale. On a nation-wide scale. We believe it’s not only possible, it’s inevitable if we work together.
So our question for you is, are you in? We know you’ve been disappointed before. We know you are probably skeptical (hell, we all skeptical). The truth is that we have real, statistical economic power, and this is the time to put in work. Our approach to creating wealth is different. We believe in partnership vs. employment, an economic model of sharing. And it starts with each of you being willing to test this hypothesis with us, to say, “Yes, we can do this together.” It starts with believing that our freedom is possible. The next step will be one day supporting this effort financially.
If that seems like a big commitment, think about the hours of labor a Habitat for Humanity homebuyer puts in as their house is being built. Think about their sweat equity, and what the return is on that investment. The return on investing with us will be worth it because our problems are not insurmountable. Our freedom guarantees that. And as we walk deeper into the freedom we have in this country, as we give, as we work to foster growth and change and joy in our communities, we firmly believe that we will overcome them. Together.
There can only be one America. There is only this one house, and it needs Chip-and-Jojo style renovations. This is a moment for all Americans to come together, and work with each other, to help resew our now fragile American fabric.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
Begin your journey to Black America
Stop 1: If you made it here you are at Stop 1. Congratulations! You just finished reading The Black America Foundation case for support. Thank you for taking the time to read our story, we hope that you will continue on the journey to Black America.
Stop 2: Join the foundation community so you can stay updated on our progress
Let's keep in touch
Stop 3: Read the frequently asked questions to understand the roots of our organizational philosophy.
Stop 4: Visit “Black America” by listening to the January series of Good Morning Black People. If you own a business, consider playing the show in your establishment. Nineteen episodes are available on our Android app. Apple users can listen on Apple Podcasts. Shows feature music, messages, Black business spotlights, PSA’s and daily meditation music.
Stop 5: If you have questions send them to welcome@blackamericafoundation.org and your unique question will be answered publicly, in our growing FAQs section. You can also engage with Ken directly on social media.
Stop 6: Be heard by sending your thoughts and ideas to welcome@blackamericafoundation.org. We are eager to engage with you. What did the case for support miss? What would you add to it? What do you wish could get taken out? In your opinion, what biases are over-present in our case for support? Are there areas where you perceive this case lacks perspective? Does this case have blind spots? What would have made this more effective for you personally? What are we not considering? How can we make this more effective so that it reaches its intended goal? Why are you ending your journey to Black America?
Stop 7: Share The Black America Foundation case for support with at least one another person and personally ask them to join you in your journey to Black America.
Final Stop: Join the list below. Monthly memberships to Black America Foundation will be available one day.
we are grateful
we are grateful
We are grateful
we are grateful
Black.Radio Benefactor opportunities for mega-shareholders, corporations, foundations, and nations.
we are grateful
LUSTRUM COMMITMENTS ONLY
we are grateful
LUSTRUM COMMITMENTS ONLY
We are grateful
LUSTRUM COMMITMENTS ONLY
we are grateful
LUSTRUM COMMITMENTS ONLY
Prepare a letter on organizational letterhead with the USD value of your total Lustrum Commitment. Please include your annual schedule (e.g. the month the organization can expect annual payment) for paying toward your Lustrum Commitment. This detail is needed to formally register your commitment. You will receive an annual invoice for payment.
Email the organization and instructions will be provided to you on where you can send a notarized copy of your commitment via Federal Express. Please include your first annual payment.
Lookout Mountain
Chattanooga, TN