Introduction

One thing that has become obvious to me is the shift in the mindsets of the masses. While most mental changes over the past 60 years have been painfully slow in their progression, this shift has been acute and precise. There has been a compelling shift in how the average person views themselves in the current workforce. More people are seeking self-sufficiency by way of wealth-building. This desire for financial freedom is especially acute in the Black community.

The COVID-19 pandemic created an environment in which many Americans were forced to explore new options for fulfilling their workplace responsibilities. During this time, the paradigm that governs workplace relations and expectations shifted. People learned that they could work from home and be equally, if not more proficient, performing their duties. Others discovered that they were more valuable to their employers than they were led to believe.

At the time of publishing this book, the U.S. workforce is experiencing The Great Resignation—workers are resigning from their places of employment in record numbers. While some will reenter the workforce at a new place of employment with higher pay and better benefits, at least 40 percent of these workers will reenter the economy as entrepreneurs—completely reshaping the economic landscape.

As interesting as these new shifts are, this book is about more than the workforce. It explores the historical quest by Blacks to close the wealth gap while building generational wealth. This book engages some questions that must be answered if Blacks are ever going to close the racial wealth gap. I outline the mechanisms and machinations used to keep the Black race at a distance and to secure wealth for Whites—things like the Black codes, redlining, sharecropping, urban renewal, benign neglect, gentrification, and more. I also explore ways we have hurt our cause, such as individualism, consumerism, and refusing to develop an understanding of how money works in the world.

Let's explore building generational wealth despite the inherent challenges that we face as a race. Let's visit practices that can change the lives of millions.

The War on Black Wealth: Chasing the American Dream is my 25th book, and it is definitely some of my best work. Learn how chasing the American dream has worked against economic progress for Blacks. Let's explore why Blacks, who are $150k behind Whites in median household wealth (racial wealth gap), buy more Mercedes than Whites every year. We also need to understand the mentality that drives consumerism.

If you are serious about changing the poverty and lack narrative for your progeny for generations, you want to read this book. This book is not a history book, but it explores the history of our quest to build wealth. It is not a psychology book, but it explores the mindset behind consumerism in the Black community. Most importantly, this book provides a blueprint for breaking the wealth code for you and your family.

Building wealth is about more than getting money; it is about what you do with it when you get it. Dressing your children in the latest fashions does not rescue them from a bankrupt future. It is essential to model proper money management for your children—ensuring they will not have to depend on the current financial infrastructure to determine their value and potential.

To ensure this book effectively provides a sense of direction for those looking to build generational wealth, I have included information on wealth-building mechanisms and strategies, including ideas about compound growth and passive income.

Wealth emerges from a shift in mentality and focus. You must change how you view money and determine the sacrifice you will make to have what you desire for yourself and your family.

The Importance of the Black Family

People ask me why I am so passionate about the restoration of the Black family, and on one end, the answer is simple, and on the other hand, the dynamic is quite complex.

A part of the slavery experience for Blacks in America was the stripping away of our heritage — our values, interests, and principles (VIPs). We were taught to value what our masters valued and seek the better interest of our masters. The Black family is the institution through which we reclaim our own values, interests, and principles.

The Black family is the initial manifestation of the Black marriage — with the goal being the inculcation of our held VIPs into the psyche of our progeny. When the Black family is intact, there is both feminine and masculine energy synched together to create synergy — a force that multiplies our individual capacity — developing the ability to accomplish more together than we can alone.

When the family is whole, the man is respected, encouraged, and inspired, and the woman is covered (physically, spiritually, and emotionally). And the children become empowered through a validated identity — a self-certified self-concept that emboldens them to become the best version of themselves.

However, when the family nucleus is ruptured, the children's identity becomes fractured and unsure of itself. Children begin to seek confirmation from outside sources, many of which do not share the same VIPs as we do. This is the beginning of self-hatred — the yearning to become something they are not for the sake of being accepted.
Building wealth is about capacity, and broken children emerging from broken homes almost always lack the capacity to effectively follow the protocol for building generational wealth, which positions them for success and ensures that their offspring will have an economical foundation on which to stand.

We must fight to restore what has been stolen and sacrificed. We must acknowledge the value of marriage and the family nucleus. By writing this book, I hope to challenge us to look deeper into the caverns of our dysfunction to recognize the key to our liberation.

Building wealth requires more than just establishing revenue sources; it requires a clear vision and purpose anchored in a powerful self-concept.