Tag: Financial Inclusion

By Anita Ward While few people talk about it, loneliness is one of the greatest public health and wellbeing challenges of our time.  Loneliness, and a lack of social interaction, is linked to a range of devastating wellbeing impacts, like Alzheimer’s disease, strokes, obesity, and even financial crises.  It is a reality for far too […]

By John Hope Bryant Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of sitting with my friend and fellow business leader and philanthropist Tip (you know him as hitmaker, music legend and entertainer Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris) and brilliant moderator Rose Scott, at the closing of the 2019 Smart City Expo Atlanta. We tackled a range of […]

By Anita Ward, President Operation HOPE Friday nights were game nights for my family, and Monopoly was always a top choice for the evening.  Over the years the game took on personal dimensions, even the game pieces. The Scottie dog belonged to me, and the racecar to my dad. The rest joined the board as […]

By John Hope Bryant This week began with “Women’s Equality Day”. It’s a day that the nation reflects on the certification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, granting women the right to vote. Despite the significance of this momentous day nearly 100 years ago, and the positive progress that’s happened afterward, […]

By Anita Ward, President Operation HOPE This isn’t my week to write for Saporta.  It’s not my turn. But isn’t it time for women to stop waiting their turn?   Today is the anniversary of Women’s Equality Day, and if Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt had waited their turns then women would never have […]

By Anita Ward, President Operation HOPE Traveling to Vegas a few weeks ago I sat next to a lovely woman from Texas.  She sported a big smile, a big drawl, the required big hair, and the biggest (and most beautiful) ring I had ever seen.   Not one to remain silent when curious, I immediately had […]

Anita Ward, President Operation HOPE Jessica created an amazing product – a journal to help students prepare for exams.  The demand proved strong, and she quickly required more inventory. Offshore manufacturers offered better pricing, so she placed an order in China.  When the shipment arrived, Jessica faced unexpected tariffs and needed money to release the […]

By: John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. It is time that we begin to think differently about Qualified Opportunity Zones. Recently signed into law, they were created as a way to drive long-term investment in low-income communities, including neighborhoods in Atlanta. The way it works is two-fold. An investor gets a tax […]

By Anita Ward, President Operation HOPE  As I watch Louisiana brace for another hurricane, this one named Barry, I can’t help but reflect on financial stability and preparedness.  This month earthquakes rocked California, Washington, and Nevada, tornadoes pummeled the Mid-West, and the South experienced heavy flooding.  According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration […]

By Anita Ward, President Operation HOPE Inc. My dad kaboomed like a superhero. He vaulted skyscrapers, battled villains, and flew through the universe to protect his family. Through the lens of my 5-year-old eyes, my Dad was an Avenger, a defender of justice – my hero. I was certain he donned a mask and cape […]

By John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE This is what I had to tell myself when I was homeless in this parking lot in 1984. This urban parking lot in Los Angeles was my university. It was also my home for 6 months of my life when I was 18 years old. I had lost everything, […]