Believe-in-You Money Circles: Join the Movement!
Talking about wealth and money remains profoundly challenging, especially for Black people in America given the traumatic legacy of enslavement and systemic racism that built white wealth on the backs of Black labor. For generations, Black people have been systematically excluded from wealth-building opportunities, and this exclusion has left lasting scars.
Black entrepreneurs continue to face disproportionate barriers in accessing financial resources, with Black entrepreneurs being denied business loans at twice the rate of their white counterparts. Homeownership also plays a critical role in building generational wealth, particularly through the accumulation of home equity and the stability it provides. The homeownership rate for Black families is nearly 30 percentage points lower than that of white families. Even in education, Black students are more likely to rely on loans for higher education, often facing higher interest rates and stricter repayment terms. This pervasive financial exclusion is a modern iteration of historical inequities, perpetuating a cycle of harm and limited economic mobility. Confronting these issues requires a radical reimagining of our financial systems, centered on equity and reparative capital to dismantle the structural barriers that have long denied Black people their fair share of economic prosperity.
Generational trauma plays a significant role, too. Many Black families have inherited not only economic disadvantages but also the stress, anxiety, and harm racist financial policies have inflicted. Stories of discrimination, financial loss, and economic instability are common, leading to a culture of silence around money to avoid the pain and vulnerability associated with these topics. The silence, shame, and systemic harm perpetuates financial trauma and hinders open discussions that could foster financial liberation.
But, hard conversations are what Jessica Norwood hopes to inspire with her book, Believe-in-You Money, and with the Believe-in-You Money Circles community members have been hosting across the country. Believe-in-you money — that early, patient, flexible capital that turns Black brilliance into reality –– can be the key to accelerate repair, restoration, and a fundamental reimagining of our economy.
Believe-in-You Money Circles provide spaces for intentional discussions that explore the central questions in the book, like “What would it look like if the economy loved Black people?” and “When you imagine being an antiracist investor, does it help you understand risk in a new way?” It can be a lot to host an event focused on personal and transformational questions. But, the most important thing we can do as people who want to nurture an economy that loves Black people, is to start having — and changing — the conversation.
Check out highlights from Believe-in-You Money Circles that entrepreneurs, investors, culture shapers, wisdom keepers, philanthropists, and change agents have been hosting across the country:
Atlanta, GA
Baltimore, MD
“Hosting a Believe-in-You Money Circle just made sense. But, just like any conversation about money, wealth, love, and liberation, it could be emotional… This book will change the lives of so many people. I’m thrilled to help spread the word.”
Oakland, CA
“A Believe-in-You Money Circle is an opportunity to challenge and deepen your thinking on how finance, investment, and money should work for all of us… For many of us, we don’t have these conversations at home in our families, or in our friend groups, and it’s really important to break the silence, break the shame, and really dream together.”
– Nina Robinson, Fund Manager, RUNWAY
Richmond, VA
You can still hold your own Belive-in-You Money Circle!
Download the toolkit today to embrace this opportunity to dream and imagine new practices and ways of engaging with money that contribute to an economy focused on repairing harm and investing in Black joy and creativity.
