I already focus on one of the most taboo topics society tells us to keep on the ‘do not talk about’ list: money.
Today, I’m here to tell you we are adding another to the conversation: racism.
About a month or so ago I was sending separate and additional emails that were focusing on money and race.
The truth is, they aren’t separate conversations.
So, I’m no longer doing that.
We’re going to have ONE conversation.
Because we can’t keep talking about how money mastery works here and then talking about how marginalized groups are affected over there.
We must talk about money and how it impacts us – all of us – differently.
Think about how many times I’ve said that what we know about money has been passed down.
Sometimes this is from our family but it can also be from our culture.
Our culture has a variety of beliefs about different groups of people.
It also has several systems that interact or engage with financial and economic resources, and those same systems are often set up to hold marginalized groups back.
When a system (or several) oppresses a group of people, it’s systemic racism.
So, moving forward my aim with this weekly newsletter is to explore how money looks through a variety of lenses, including racism.
I don’t expect to always get the whole conversation right. In fact, I suspect I’ll make more mistakes than anything else, but I’m going to do it anyway because that’s how I grow.
If I can play a part in having these conversations in my corner of the world, maybe we (me and you) can be a part of changing the systems that are hurting some of us while privileging others.
Which brings me to two attitudes of money I want to look at through this lens: the attitude of opportunity and abundance.
Here’s the 3-2-1 on some aspects of opportunity and abundance and race.
3 TRUTHS
- The opportunities we have to make money are different depending on how our culture has slotted us in its system. When we are White, we have more opportunities in comparison to others. (The same could be said of being male and/or being born into wealth.) People in privilege have a choice to leverage their opportunity to change the system and make wealth-building more accessible to all.
- Many believe that in order to have more, others must have less. Instead, we need to see it as ‘They have it and I can have it, too.’ So, while external systems can and do impact us, we are still able to create the abundance we desire.
- Money is unlimited. There’s plenty of money and wealth for all of us on this planet. It is our own limiting beliefs – passed down to us through family, religious, and societal culture – that really keep us from having what we want. We must rid ourselves of those beliefs if we are to leave a legacy of wealth and ideas that will last generations.
2 ACTIONS
- Identify the systems in place that assist you in achieving what you want and explore why that is.
- Identify the systems in place that prevent you from achieving what you want and explore why that is.
1 QUESTION
- What has my culture taught me about money and race?
This money conversation continues on YouTube. Check out How Racism is a Part of the Money Conversation and make sure to subscribe while you’re there.
To your impact and legacy,
