Black History Month 2022: A Recap

As we look back on Black History Month in February, Chimers have a lot to reflect on from events, conversations, and things they learned this past month. One thing that has become clear to many Chimers is that Black History Month isn’t just about honoring and celebrating Black Excellence in the month of February — it’s about amplifying it all year long.

Here’s a look at what AfroChime, our Chimer Resource Group that nurtures the Black community at Chime and educates all Chimers about the Black experience, as well as our broader company put together for Black History Month 2022 at Chime:

Black Wall Street and the Wealth Gap

In this event, AfroChime shared the story of Black Wall Street, its destruction, and the continued fight towards economic equality. They took a deep dive into the Tulsa Race Massacre and how it impacted the racial wealth gap, as well as how Chimers can work together to close that gap.

Key takeaways:

• Events like the Tulsa Race Massacre and centuries of discrimination have left Black Americans much poorer than white Americans — the typical white family has 8x the wealth of the typical Black family.
• The racial wealth gap was originally created by slavery and exacerbated by historical events, such as the Tulsa Race Massacre — and currently is estimated at $10.14 trillion.
• There are many initiatives are focused on building Black Wealth; teaching financial literacy, supporting communities, and providing access to resources — all while preserving history

Here are some tips for how to support Black creators and businesses:

Diversify your feed

YouTube

• FD Signifier
• Khadija Mbowe
• Marques Brownlee

Instagram

• Stylenbeautydoc
• Plantkween
• Sweetpotatosoul

Tik Tok

• Bobthedragqueen
• Itscharmay

Diversify what you read and listen to

Podcasts

• Therapy for Black Girls
• The Read
• Still Processing
• The Black Bold and Beautiful

Books

• Citizen: An American Lyric
• The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap

Support Black businesses

• Marcus Books
• Red Bay Coffee
• Cupcakin
• Soyful aromas
• Asayo
• Bettye O’Day Spa
• Laine’s Bakeshop
• The Silver Room
• Chicago For Keeps
• Kyoto Black
• Sip and Savor Chicago
• Forty Acres Fresh Market
• Irms and Ru
• Cup of Te
• Karibu Soapz

Lunch & Learn with Evan Leaphart

Evan Leaphart is the Founder of Kiddie Kredit, a mobile chore app for kids and parents to teach the fundamentals of financial literacy. He’s also a Co-Founder of Black Men Talk Tech, a conference that brings together investors, entrepreneurs, and technologists to work together to grow their businesses. During the lunch and learn, he shared stories from his childhood of running a lemonade stand and starting a shoveling business during the winter. When he was in high school, he built his own computer to burn CDs on and sold them at his school. “My entrepreneurial journey started early and has carried me through my career,” he said during the talk.

Evan also shared his personal experiences with credit scoring and how, with a lack of financial literacy, he fell into several pitfalls on his financial journey. “You don’t just turn 18 and suddenly understand credit,” he explained. “We don’t talk about credit enough at the point when people are developing habits — it’s always addressed after the fact. That’s why I started Kiddie Kredit, to teach kids about credit at a young age so they can build healthy habits and an understanding of finances.”

Evan discussed the process of building Kiddie Kredit and how different his financial literacy was when compared to that of his peers. “I realized that I was coming from a different background when it came to fundraising — I hadn’t had the same access to information as my white peers,” he explained. “I didn’t want that to happen to other Black entrepreneurs, so I started the Black Men Talk Tech conference.” Many Black entrepreneurs are the first to start a company from their communities, so it’s on them to obtain information that others who have different access might already have. Black Men Talk Tech aims to bridge that gap and contribute to a growing number of Black entrepreneurs and a celebration of entrepreneurship in the Black community.

Much of what Evan has built his career around comes down to empathy — understanding those his companies serve and leading with empathy. He took the experiences of his life and, instead of letting them slow him down, he learned and grew from them.

Finally, Evan shared his number one piece of advice for growing and learning as a founder or employee: “Every time I heard a rebuttal or question as a founder, or a no to a sales pitch when I worked in sales, I’d write it down,” he explained. “I learned from those moments of rejection and better prepared myself for the next time.”

Chime member spotlight: Honoring MLK’s Legacy

We also connected with our community of Chime members about how they honor MLK’s legacy. Check out our blog post to hear how they put MLK’s message into practice.

We’re so grateful to AfroChime and all Chimers who participated in our month of programming. Stay tuned for more peeks at what our CRGs are up to all year!