Category Archives: Intentional Communities

Investing in real estate to build wealth is hardly a new concept as owning property has always been a significant driver of capital. Generational wealth includes financial assets such as property, investments, money, NFTs or anything with a monetary value that you pass down from one generation to the next. Intangibles like financial education, values and habits are an equally important part of the equation.

As a thought leader and tuned-in trailblazer, my mission is to generate wealth for my clients through real estate. I provide top-tier resources and the means to work with wealth professionalswho look like you, are trustworthy and are at the top of their field. Fellows Luxury Group provides direct access to esteemed African American wealth management pros and entertainment attorneys who not only look like us but understand the disparities and challenges we face. Real estate is just the beginning when you join forces with a wealth manager and surround yourself with the best team, true generational wealth building will begin.

The first economic conversation that we have with our clients is about the equity they will profit from as a result of owning property. The next question is: What will you do with that equity? The easy answer is to buy another property and build a real estate empire, but I implore everyone to think ever broader than real estate. I realized that my clients were benefactors of my more than 15 years in private wealth management, and they wanted information on how to create generational wealth.

Most times my clients werent sure what to do with the influx of income from their achievements.Assistant Vice President, Wealth Advisorof Bernstein Private Wealth Management E.J. Fortenberry gives his insight:

I believe the narrative starts with the fact that when we think about wealth, we have to be mindful that the wealthy of tomorrow may look quite different than the wealthy of today. There is this evolving landscapewhere the color of wealth is changing, and more Black and brown people are contributing to wealth creation and wealth innovation. We have to recognize and acknowledge that there are gaps, there are potholes, there are landmines that may be ahead of us on this journey of creating, sustaining, and transferring wealth that require a different approach to education.

We always think about wealth creation and attaining wealth as more money, more problems, which is true to some degree, but the focus should be on trying to find the right people to come along with you on that journey. So the question becomes: Who is on your bus? When you think about filling your bus, you need to make sure your team has people who have the ability to meet you where you are. Two people might have the same source of wealth and income (like when we think about athletes or entertainers or business owners), but how they access that wealth is very different, which brings us to the idea of equitable wealth management or equitable advice. Financial literacy is fundamental. Your team should be an ecosystem of professionals who help provide the information that will allow you to do what people of color have not been able to do with their wealth historically.

SVP/National Director and Head of Diverse Markets Strategy at Bernstein Private Wealth Management James Seth Thompson shares his perspective:

How we like to think about this is equity, exposure, education and experience. When I think about the needs to create and sustain and transfer wealth, you really have to work with individuals, you have to be part of an ecosystem that has the right professionals at your table. You have to think about wealth management, you have to think about your CPA, you have to think about your lawyers and the business managers. These are the people in your circle that are going to help you deal with the anxiety and the complexity that comes with income and managing wealth.

Wealth creation starts with income but when that income starts being generated, you also need to have a goal for it. You have to be self-aware enough to understand you need a clear roadmap. Youll also need to start to educate yourself if you want to accumulate and generate wealth. For a long time, Black and brown people felt they couldnt trust those on the other side of the table who were giving them advice and theyve had every right to feel that way. But, the faces of those people at the other end of the table are changing and since that is the case, we have to start reaching out and become intentional with our income and the goals we have for it.

Thompson took a moment to share with me what advice he would give to younger generations:

Generations of all types, shapes and sizes will have to think about coin versus cash, digital currency versus traditional capital markets, etc. But if you have a goal for your wealth, it helps you define what role core investing and capital markets will have versus some newer but nontraditional forms of attaining wealth. So, you really want to understand what is going to support and diversify how you think about growing your wealth. You cant turn your back on the most traditional ways people and families have created wealth over generations and generations. A lot of times that gets lost due to the fact that many of our newer generations may not trust the sources of the advice. That comes with the traditional ways of creating a legacy and transferring wealth.

Think through a plan for your wealth and be intentional about it every step of the way, from budgeting and saving to where you allocate capital for investment. You have to develop healthy spending and saving habits, or it wont matter whether you made $10 or $10 million when its time to step away from the income-creating job you had, without good habitsyou wont have anything left. When you think about athletes and entertainers who make millions over their careers but somehow end up broke 2-3 years into retirement, you think to yourself, How could this happen? The answer is really simple: They had no plan and were not intentional about their finances. The team that they had around them werent intentional about preserving and growing their wealth, either. I would urge younger generations to educate themselves on basic budgeting, planning and saving exercises. Then, when your wealth starts to accumulate and grow, start to build your ecosystem of trusted advisors.

On that note, one myth I would like to address is that professionals of color are not equipped to handle your business. As a people, weve had trust issues and we all need to be part of the change in that narrative. What do you say to people of color who may be distrustful of investing or distrusting of the professionals in those industries?

Fortenberry and Thompson share this perspective on that issue:

When looking at the historical context of Black people being distrustful of the market, being a conservative population in general, what were not able to physically touch and hold on to when it comes to assets have been things that we have tended not to invest in. Now, when you think about wealth and the face of wealth, historically, it has not looked like us. To be really blunt, most people of color looked at that world as a white people opportunity because the industry, banking system and financial services in general have not been equitable to us as a people. However, the same way that the face of wealth is changing, the faces of the people giving the advice is rapidly changing as well. There are a greater number of people of color that are now professionals in the financial services industry. Those professionals now have a greater chance of helping dispel some of the myths and misconceptions and empowering and encouraging people of color. There is an affinity to the culture, an affinity to the struggle and an affinity to the opportunity.

Another challenge we have to look at concerns what we have historically had access to. Rising wealth management is not necessarily a brick-and-mortar business and when you think about us as a people, people of color tend to trust brick-and-mortar institutions.POC communities are huge consumers of retail and we trust certain brands, so a business with a physical presence means a lot. However, you dont find a lot of advice in your local bank or at the check cashing place. What you find there are accounts not the advice or education that is actually needed. As you move up on the wealth and innovation spectrum, from where you are today to where you want to be, you will need someone to hold your hand through the process.

Along the way, two things that can derail your journey are anxiety and complexity. Those two components make up what I refer to as sudden wealth syndrome. Its that moment in time when you have the resources and you want to execute, but anxiety and complexity derail you because you arent sure of the next steps.

My team addresses the unknowns. We help our clients see the pitfalls and potholes before they get there, and we help prepare them to navigate those challenges. That is the value of securing adviceinstead of just securing accounts.

The more we see one another successfully engaging an advice model to support our wealth journey, the more POC communities will participate. The way we expedite that process is to be super intentional about meeting the different needs of Black investors. So, for me, thats the call-to-action to all wealth advisors make sure you are very proactive, and make sure youre doing equitable deep discovery to recognize each persons starting point. Everyone in that wealth creators ecosystem has to take it upon themselves to ensure that all people, regardless of background, receive the same types of advice and education because that will ultimately be what it takes to close the wealth gap.

If investing in real estate is how youd like to start your process of building generational wealth, selecting the right real estate team is crucial to the success of buying and selling. For a complimentary consultation please call me at 1-408-9912 or email me at [emailprotected]

If you are a wealth creator and want to start to think about how to build and sustain generational wealth, please reach out to:

James Seth Thompson

SVP/National Director, Head of Diverse Markets Strategy

Bernstein Private Wealth Management

[emailprotected]

212-823-2675

E.J. Fortenberry

Assistant Vice President, Wealth Advisor

Bernstein Private Wealth Management

[emailprotected]

310-286-6097

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The importance of generational wealth in the Black community and how to attain it - REVOLT

Boston residents are ready for change. At public forums, the voting booth and in the community, they are declaring loud and clear that we need to embrace a vision of a more equitable, inclusive and resilient city including along Bostons waterfront.

Stretching more than 40 miles from East Boston to Dorchester, Bostons waterfront is a complex, interconnected and essential resource for our city; it encompasses housing, commercial and industrial areas, beaches and parks, cultural institutions and more. The waterfront is critical to the public health, safety, economic prosperity and wellbeing of every neighborhood and community in Boston.

In this moment of enormous opportunity, when the new administration of Mayor Michelle Wu has demonstrated a willingness to rethink traditional approaches including appointing a new, cabinet-level Chief of Planning how can Boston achieve tangible, sustainable and inclusive change on the waterfront? Along with community-focused work already underway on the waterfront, city officials, advocates and residents can and should consider examples from other cities that have embraced innovative and intentional efforts to improve their waterfronts.

In our work at the Barr Foundation, we have identified three essential components to creating a waterfront all residents can access and benefit from. These components seek to answer three key questions around any new developments: How does planning happen? Who is involved in that planning? And how do projects get funded?

How Planning Happens: Coordinate Waterfront Efforts

To realize a more robust, equitable vision for Bostons waterfront, more intentional city-level coordination of waterfront projects, led by a single individual or entity, should be a key priority for city leaders.

In Seattle, the citys Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects is leading the development of Waterfront Park, a 20-acre redevelopment that will create opportunities for education and recreation, along with vital habitats and natural areas. The park will be among the most accessible areas of downtown Seattle, reachable by bike, bus, foot, ferry, water taxi, light rail and automobile. The Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects is a city entity specifically charged with oversight of waterfront efforts.

Such an entity does not exist in Boston. As a result, strategic planning discussions about the waterfront, opportunities for public engagement, conversations about financing and more are too often siloed in different areas of city government, bogged down by competing interests or deprived of the focus they deserve.

Whos Involved: Engage a Diverse Group of Stakeholders

At the same time, creating a dedicated office or official in City Hall to oversee waterfront projects will not meaningfully improve things unless that office or official remains deeply engaged with every community impacted by changes to the waterfront. In Boston, we must be committed to engaging broad and diverse groups of residents, advocates, businesses and others, from the earliest planning stages through project completion and beyond.

Today, Brooklyn Bridge Park is a jewel of the New York City waterfront an 85-acre park on the Brooklyn side of the East River that includes walking paths, playgrounds, picnic areas and more. Creating the iconic park required decades of evolution from an initial, small group of advocates to a much larger, more diverse group of stakeholders who ultimately joined in the planning. At Philadelphias Bartrams Garden, a public park and 50-acre National Historic Landmark next to a public housing development, inclusivity meant going beyond opportunities for residents to engage in planning. Park officials and leaders first had to help neighbors understand their right to be in the park and enable them to see their community enjoying the space. Clearly, the building blocks of a thriving waterfront evolution are rooted in community.

How Its Paid For: Share the Financial Burden

Finally, given the scale of Bostons waterfront, it is clear that the financial burden cannot fall solely on either public funding, private financing or philanthropy alone; it must be shared across sectors.

The power of collaboration and shared investment is reflected in Seattle, where the total Waterfront Park price tag of $739 million is shared between philanthropy ($110 million), city funding ($262 million), state funding ($207 million) and a local improvement district ($160 million). Going back a little further in Bostons history, the Boston Harbor clean-up in the 1970s and 80s leveraged billions of dollars in public and private investment to safeguard the harbor for generations to come. As we plan for other ambitious projects along Bostons waterfront, city leaders and advocates must be intentional about pulling in different funding streams to generate the necessary resources.

Our city, our community and our waterfront is unique. But as we look to respond to the public call for change and take bold action to make our waterfront more equitable, inclusive, and resilient, we can learn from the experiences and innovations of other cities. Both successful and unsuccessful, urban waterfront revivals can inform how city officials, advocates and communities connected to the waterfront in Boston can work together to build the future of this vital resource.

Jill Valds Horwood is the Director of the Boston Waterfront Initiative.

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It's time to create a city office dedicated to Boston waterfront projects - GBH News

The dichotomy of the disability community contributes to its rich complexity. Some folks are born into the community, others join it after decades of life. Some folks are exalted as inspiration porn by their nondisabled counterparts while others are demonized and invalidated, accused of falling victim to their own shortcomings. Some folks are loud and proud about their disability while others distance themselves from the community due to internalized ableism. Regardless of a persons history or station in the community, we are all united by a common plight: navigating a health system that prioritizes profit over disabled bodies.

Roughly a month before my 21st birthday, I discovered my place within the disability community. Multiple EKGs, heart monitors, blood tests, specialist visits, an echo, and a cardiac MRI led to a diagnosis of several worrisome arrhythmias. My experience navigating the health care system as a white woman with health insurance displays the complex intersection of marginalization and privilege.

On the one hand, my position in society as a young woman impeded my access to care. For months, I had complained of troubling heart symptoms: prolonged lightheadedness, extreme spikes in resting heartrate, and frequent dyspnea. Despite a family history of heart issues, my complaints were written off as anxiety. I was prescribed therapy and exercise as opposed to a cardiology referral. My care team explained that many young women experience anxiety, and a referral would result in expensive tests that would likely reveal nothing.

For months, I went about my life trying to ignore the debilitating cardiac symptoms, but then something miraculous happened: an unexpected surgery led my family to meet our insurance deductible. Empowered with the knowledge that my healthcare was 100% covered for the remaining two months of the year, I requested the cardiology referral. As predicted, this did lead to a myriad of expensive tests; however, the results revealed that my symptoms were not simply a manifestation of female hysteria but a multitude of arrhythmias.

I am thankful to be in a place where my disability is effectively managed by medication; however, reflecting on my medical journey fills me with dread. My story is not unique. Countless folks with marginalized genders have shared their experiences of invalidation by medical professionals. Misogyny is compounded by white supremacy which increases the barriers to proper medical treatment for women of color, specifically for Black and Indigenous women.

The privilege of health insurance is key to my journey as well. Without access to primary care, I would not have received the pivotal cardiologist referral that led to the diagnosis and treatment of my disability. Over 37% of adults with disabilities in the United States lack access to preventative care due to cost. In a health care system that values profit over lives, the disability community often bears the burden.

Closing the health equity gap for people with disabilities and other marginalized communities requires an active dismantling of white supremacy, ableism, and the patriarchy. Through intentional commitment to affordable and culturally responsive health care, we can create access that improves the health and quality of life for those traditionally left behind.

Excerpt from:

Closing health equity gap requires commitment to affordable and culturally responsive health care - The Kresge Foundation

While social media existed in various less successful and narrow forms in the 1990s, it didnt catch its big break until the 2000s. This year, there are an estimated 3.96 billion social media users worldwide.

Elliot Panek, an associate professor of journalism and creative media with a focus on social media, said researchers refer to social media platforms as mass-personal.

Thats basically a user posting something on a platform, and the audience for that could be one person or it could be a billion people, and you dont really know who the audience is, Panek said.

Panek said he believes mass-personal communication is a primary issue driving social media hostility.

If the audience is a bit more limited, and its a bit more like small group communication, there seem to be fewer problems, Panek said. People get to know one another and feel accountable to some extent and empathize with other people even though theyre not in the same room.

Greg Vander Wal, the executive director of the UA Counseling Center, said social media interactions harbor disconnection.

Any sort of bullying or exclusion can be a real problem, Vander Wal said. I think its a lot easier to engage in some of those destructive and harmful behaviors when youre just typing, or interacting between a social media site than you would in person with someone.

According to a 2021 Anti-Defamation League survey, 41% of Americans who responded said they had experienced online harassment.

Hannah King, a sophomore majoring in speech pathology, said she doesnt believe the benefits of social media outweigh the harassment or miscommunications.

I think that its a positive thing because it is a way for us to stay connected with people in general, but I also have the opinion that it can be negative because things can be swayed in a different direction or you can have miscommunications, King said. People will often make fun of people. People are mean on social media.

Some critics point their fingers at Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook and the other tech giants. In a 2021 NPR interview, Yael Eisenstat, the ex-head of election integrity operations at Facebook, discussed concerns from her time working at Facebook.

Eisenstat said she noticed the lack of moderation in regard to political advertisements, and when paired with the algorithm, it made for the perfect storm.

When she suggested changes to the platform, such as fact-checking political advertisements, she said she was given the cold shoulder.

I was pushed out for these kinds of ideas. There just wasnt an appetite from leadership for that, Eisenstat said.

An internal Facebook report found the company helped incite the Capitol riot.

Panek said that in smaller communities online, hostility is lower due to an understood accountability among one another; however, when a community grows larger, toxicity ensues.

I would say its more of a tool that can be used for good or evil, Panek said. I dont think theyre inherently good or bad. It depends a lot on whos using it, how theyre using it, and why theyre using it, but also on the design of the particular platform were talking about.

King said she has found herself in cycles of social media overuse, she doesnt believe that it is an issue, nor does she believe interpersonal relationships are at risk of being replaced by social media.

She said social media has not gotten in the way of her personal life, but she has been alarmed by notifications alerting her of her social media usage and has tried to change her habits accordingly.

Vander Wal said an individuals usage dictates the experience.

Just like with any tool, or anything that we spend our time on, it has the potential to be really good and bring about a lot of positives, but it also has the potential to be overused and to be misused, Vander Wal said. If were finding an appropriate place for social media within our lives as we continue to work towards our goals and values, I think it can be a positive thing, and part of that just means being intentional.

Questions? Email the culture desk at culture@cw.ua.edu.

Excerpt from:

Social media's capacity for chaos - The Crimson White - The University of Alabama Crimson White

Podcast episode focused on upcoming virtual Inclusive Leadership Summit and Career Fair held by university and sponsored by Diverse

PHOENIX, April 08, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--University of Phoenix is pleased to share that Saray Lopez, MBA, director, Student Diversity & Inclusion with the Office of Educational Equity, was a featured guest of "In the Margins" podcast by the publication Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. Diverse is a sponsor of the Universitys first annual free and virtual Inclusive Leadership Summit and Career Fair, April 12-15, 2022.

The podcast episode, "Creating the Intentional Leader of Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond at the Inclusive Leadership Summit, University of Phoenix," was hosted by Jamal Watson, Ph.D., editor-at-large. Watson and Lopez discussed the importance of establishing a learning community devoted to racial justice, equity, and supporting the environments where students and alumni live, and how the event contributes to this work.

"Diversity is in the DNA of our institution," states Lopez. "We have a responsibility and a passion to create the spaces and opportunities for necessary conversations in order to create change and foster inclusive environments."

Lopez discussed the role of the Office of Educational Equity (OEE) at the University of Phoenix, which offers opportunities for professional development and contributes to student experience and belonging, culturally responsive practices, and building community for career enhancement. In addition to the Summit, the OEE has implemented an Inclusive Caf for ongoing faculty and staff conversations, and the monthly Educational Equity webinars open to the public, which provide thought-provoking conversations about equity and inclusion in the classroom, workplace and community. Additionally, Lopez shared the origin and vision of the summit and career fair, and outlined the keynote speakers, topics, and what attendees can expect.

Story continues

Lopez and Tondra Richardson, MBA, director, Student Diversity & Inclusion were both recently selected as honorees of the 2022 class of leading women in higher education by Diverse. The March 3, 2022 edition highlighted Lopez and Richardson as two of 25 women setting the stage for future generations in the academy by tackling some of higher educations toughest challenges, exhibiting extraordinary leadership skills and making a positive difference in their respective communities.

Lopez recently completed the New Leadership Academy Fellowship at University of Michigan in partnership with the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. Lopez is a first-generation Ph.D. student and is passionate about creating access to education and career opportunities to enhance the quality of life of individuals regardless of their ethnicity, country of origin, socio-economic status, or any circumstance. Lopez currently serves on the board of Achieving My Purpose and on various regional committees including Tempe Union High District Community Diversity Advisory Committee, Arizona Multicultural Education Conference Committee, and the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce DATOS Research Committee. Lopez was awarded the Inclusive Leader Award from the Diversity Leadership Alliance and Arizona Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) in November 2019.

Diverse featured the Inclusive Leadership Summit and Career Fair in a March 15 article.

Register for the University of Phoenix Inclusive Leadership Summit here.

About Diverse: Issues In Higher Education

For more than three decades, Diverse: Issues In Higher Education has been Americas premier source of timely news, provocative commentary, insightful interviews and in-depth special reports on diversity in higher education. Savvy individuals who appreciate the crucial and ever-changing role that higher education plays in the lives of students, professionals, their families and their communities make reading Diverse a regular habit.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is continually innovating to help working adults enhance their careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, and Career Services for Life help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220408005563/en/

Contacts

Sharla HooperUniversity of Phoenixsharla.hooper@phoenix.edu

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University of Phoenix Leader Saray Lopez Featured Guest on Podcast "In the Margins" by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education - Yahoo Finance

I visited one of my favorite little communities this past week.

On Wednesday afternoon, I took an impromptu drive through Morristown. Although I was actually looking for a large group of law enforcement officers who had been called to handle an incident I knew almost nothing about at that point, I couldnt help but notice a few changes in the village.

Morristown was platted 220 years ago, and it was named for settler and innkeeper Duncan Morrison. It was established by Jonathan Zane and William Chaplin along the path of the developing National Road the highway to the West throughout the first half of the 19th century.

The presence of the road and all the traffic it carried led to growth, and hotels, stores, factories and mills grew up around it. Many of those buildings are still standing in Morristown, which is the best preserved example of a Pike Town in Eastern Ohio, according to morristownohio.org.

In the 1850s, there were as many as 40 or 50 businesses in town, including blacksmiths, cigar factories, grocers, clothiers, Saddlers, wagonmakers and many others. Many of those buildings were abandoned in the decades that followed, as a new form of transportation the railroad bypassed Morristown and ran through communities to the south instead, passing from Zanesville to Barnesville and through Bethesda and Belmont on its way to Bellaire.

Today, the remaining 19th century buildings in Morristown are largely occupied again, but they now serve as private homes.

Of course, being from nearby Belmont myself, I know several of the people who occupy or work to preserve these historic structures. And, being a history buff, I also know that many of these buildings were built in the 1840s and 50s.

Its amazing to see how they have stood the test of time!

Whats also amazing to me is how much some of these structures have been improved. Driving along Main Street last week, I noticed some new roofs and siding, as well as equipment stationed at buildings that are being renovated. I was happy to see that all those improvements seem to be in keeping with the original appearance and historic colors of the original construction.

Theres just something special about this little slice of a bygone era. No matter why I visit the village, I always appreciate its character and feel like I can see and hear the shadows of those who came there before me.

So, if you have business to conduct in or around Morristown, take the time to notice just how much of the original community has been spared for posterity.

Or, if you have a leisurely day to spend somewhere in the region, consider making an intentional visit. Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places are clearly marked with bits of their history on plaques near their entrances. A walking tour is also outlined on the website mentioned above.

In addition to its historical significance, Morristown has a 73-acre park with ballfields, playground equipment, disc golf and more. And it is near many other attractions, such as Barkcamp State Park, Pike 40 restaurant, Valleyview Campgrounds where Blame My Roots Fest is held, and the Union Local schools campus.

As for the original reason for my trip to Morristown, that turned out to be an unpleasant, though not terribly serious, situation. A guest at the Arrowhead Motel apparently had refused to pay rent for weeks and became belligerent when asked to leave. The woman had a warrant for her arrest, so Belmont County sheriffs deputies and troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol took her into custody.

Its all in a days work for someone in the news business.

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A short drive leads to trip back in time - Martins Ferry Times Leader

"Resettling 100,000 refugees with no clear guidance on how long some will remain in the U.S will require a concerted and intentional effort by federal, state and local governments as well as voluntary organizations," said Miriam Kuttikat, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work.

By Brian McNeill

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, more than 4 million people have fled the country and an estimated quarter of the Ukrainian population has been internally displaced. President Joe Biden has pledged that the United States will accept as many as 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, in addition to providing $1 billion in humanitarian aid to other countries in support of the refugees.

Miriam Kuttikat, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Virginia Commonwealth UniversitySchool of Social Workand director of VCUs newCommunity Engaged Migration Research Lab, researches factors that affect the health and well-being of migrant families and has conducted research aimed at supporting their needs.

As the U.S. prepares to resettle thousands of Ukrainians, Kuttikat

recently discussed what support they likely will need and what challenges might lie ahead.

For the Ukrainian refugees who will be resettled in the U.S., what support will be most important for their health and well-being?

The following supports have been identified as important to their health and well-being:

What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenges surrounding the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees?

While the U.S. has pledged to take on 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, the current refugee resettlement system is not designed to respond to abrupt crises for a short period of time; it is a process that typically takes several years and involves a lot of planning and consulting among key stakeholders. It is also designed to ultimately lead to U.S citizenship. Resettling 100,000 refugees with no clear guidance on how long some will remain in the U.S will require a concerted and intentional effort by federal, state and local governments as well as voluntary organizations. The abrupt nature of the crisis means that governments and voluntary resettlement organizations do not have the luxury to execute a resettlement plan well ahead of time, as it normally would. This will transfer back onto the local host communities that will ultimately receive these incoming refugees.

The U.S.s ability to provide responsive mental health services to 100,000 Ukrainians that have suffered trauma exposures, such as war and displacement, is limited. Many of the refugees arriving will be separated from their families, especially given that men 18-60 years of age are prohibited from leaving the country. This causes additional stressors for families, so understanding the effects of not only acute experiences of trauma, but also intergenerational and historical trauma, is necessary and should inform any policies that impact this particular population.

Along with the need for responsive mental health resources, American host communities must also be made aware of and consulted with on the arrival of refugees. Oftentimes, local stakeholders, such as hospitals and schools, may not have sufficient warning of an influx of refugees in their communities, which makes attending to their unique needs a bit difficult. Again, because the Ukrainian situation is an abrupt humanitarian need, the opportunity for careful planning that would normally go into refugee resettlement is lost. Alerting host communities and preparing them with the resources needed to address the needs of resettled refugees would be helpful.

Ukrainian refugees may also arrive in the U.S. with varying levels of English language proficiency, education levels and work skills. In addition to working with resettlement agencies to find suitable housing, it may be somewhat challenging for agencies to appropriately match refugees with jobs that honor their level of skills. As we know, transferring credentials from Ukraine, such as nursing credentials, medical degrees or some other licensure degree, may be difficult in the U.S.

Because some refugees are arriving outside the traditional resettlement pathways, this may present ongoing legal issues related to immigration status for some people that arrive under the humanitarian parole or visa programs. The U.S. immigration system is difficult to navigate, and the special humanitarian parole and visa programs are even more complex. Cost-free legal resources would provide increased support for refugees who arrive outside the traditional resettlement program.

Suitable housing is already a big issue, and a major stressor for immigrants within the first three years of relocating to the U.S. While immigrants are typically given limited financial help upon arrival, considerations must be made to ensure that suitable housing will be found to accommodate all 100,000 Ukrainians entering the U.S. Our hope is that there will be a plan put into place to help these individuals socially, emotionally, psychologically, as well as economically.

What's one thing you'd like policymakers to know about how to best help the refugees amid this humanitarian crisis?

It is imperative that policymakers take a trauma-informed approach to help refugees successfully resettle in the U.S. and reevaluate current policies that might impede this process. Further, it is important to carefully consider where refugees resettle and for dispersal policies to focus on the well-being outcomes rather than solely on economic considerations. Lastly, it is important for policymakers to prioritize how best to keep families intact. Separation from family members introduces additional stressors while keeping families together offers refugees protective factors, namely in the form of social support.

How does this refugee resettlement compare to others we've seen in the U.S.?

The typical refugee resettlement process is very different from what we are seeing with the proposed Ukrainian resettlement. Under the traditional program, refugees are nominated by the United Nations and the process can take several years. President Biden has announced a plan for the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees using multiple legal pathways, including the traditional U.S. resettlement program. The other proposed method is through the humanitarian parole program.

A second difference is the evacuation methods. Unlike Afghan refugees, the U.S. will not airlift Ukrainian refugees.

A third difference is processing time. In the Congo, the average wait for refugees entering the U.S. is 14 years, while the Biden administration is trying to expedite the paperwork [for Ukrainians]. Alongside this, when the U.S welcomed other refugees, such as those from Afghanistan, the timeline was much shorter than what is expected for Ukrainian refugees, where it could take up to a year and a half to have these individuals resettled into the U.S.

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Up to 100000 Ukrainian refugees will be resettled in the U.S. What support will they need? - VCU News

Graduation should be a joyful occasion for high school seniors. But for some Indigenous students, this special time of year can be fraught with uncertainty or controversy over their ability to wear tribal regalia during their schools commencement ceremonies. Whether an eagle feather or plume, beadwork, sealskin cap, moccasins, or other forms of traditional dress, tribal regalia plays a unique role for graduating Indigenous students. These items are often gifted to students by parents or tribal elders in recognition of this pivotal, once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Many Indigenous students believe that graduation from high school cannot be properly or fully celebrated, from a spiritual and cultural perspective, unless they are permitted to wear certain ceremonial regalia.

Nevertheless, some schools prohibit Indigenous students from wearing these items at graduation, claiming that it would violate the schools dress code and speculating, without any basis, that it would disrupt during the ceremony. Today, in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education, we asked officials to take action before the upcoming graduation season to ensure that Indigenous students rights of cultural and religious expression are protected.

Indigenous students have long been mistreated and disadvantaged in educational settings. For example, the Indian Civilization Act of 1819 and other federal laws enacted through the 1960s allowed the U.S. government to establish Indian boarding schools across the country. As Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, explained last year, the purpose of Indian boarding schools was to culturally assimilate Indigenous children by forcibly relocating them from their families and communities to distant residential facilities where their American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian identities, languages, and beliefs were to be forcibly suppressed.

Even though these schools are no longer in operation, Haaland recognized that their legacy remains, manifesting itself in Indigenous communities through intergenerational trauma, cycles of violence and abuse, disappearance, premature deaths, and other undocumented bodily and mental impacts. And the reach of that horrific legacy today is evident by the numerous barriers that Indigenous students face in making it through the educational system. For a variety of historical and systemic reasons, Indigenous students are much less likely to graduate from high school than their non-Indigenous peers.

Policies that further strip Indigenous students of their cultural and religious heritage in the name of assimilation, such as those prohibiting tribal regalia at graduation, only compound the violence and oppression that these students and their communities have suffered. Students who have resisted these dictates have had their sacred items confiscated or have been excluded from graduation altogether. While a handful of states have passed laws in response to these restrictions, the protections do not always apply to all Indigenous students, and many students still struggle to exercise their rights.

More must be done at the federal level to protect Indigenous students rights. Given the federal governments past abuse of Indigenous students in the educational context, the Department of Education has a special obligation to address ongoing deprivations of these students educational and expressive rights. Officials have tools at their disposal to remind schools of their legal obligations and to investigate schools that do not comply.

Specifically, the Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights is charged with enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits both intentional discrimination and rules that have a discriminatory effect, even if unintentional, on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any school program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. As we explain in our letter, purportedly neutral graduation dress codes will often have a disproportionate and discriminatory effect on Indigenous students.

While Title VIs protections will not apply in every situation, many schools seem unaware that policies denying Indigenous students the right to wear tribal regalia during graduation ceremonies could violate this federal law. Thus, we are asking the Department of Education to notify qualifying schools, via written guidance or some other mechanism, that they must remain sensitive to the rights of Indigenous students as graduation approaches, and we are urging officials to immediately investigate any complaints from seniors whose schools prohibit wearing tribal regalia at graduation.

Indigenous students already face enough obstacles. They should be able to celebrate their graduation while remaining true to their cultural and religious heritage.

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Indigenous Students Should Be Allowed to Wear Tribal Regalia at Graduation - ACLU

LiveBy, Inc., the leader in geographical data and hyperlocal content in residential real estate, recently released the new ratings for top brokerage websites and scoring on the caliber of hyperlocal insights in their 2022 Local Insights Ratings. Companies such as Long Realty, BHHS Fox & Roach, LIV Sothebys, and BHGRE Metro Brokers are topping the list in their respective markets.

LiveBy reviewed websites for nearly 2,000 of the industrys top brokerages and weighted their local insights rating, based on eighteen data points, across three primary data categories. And now LiveBy is serving up a Competitive Analysis, by state and market, to give a better indication of who consumers are more likely to seek out for community information when searching online.

Over the years, we have been asked to provide consults on brokerage/franchise websites and the community information they are offering, so we decided to start providing annual evaluations and ratings, says Jeff Nieto, Chief Strategy Officer of LiveBy.

Especially in todays market climate, brokerages can get caught up in the race to get property listings in front of consumers, although this is only a bottom-of-the-funnel approach. The average consumer begins searching for their next home 12-18 months before they are prepared to physically move.

Why should brokerages care about that statistic? If your website is set up primarily to capture leads at a listing-level, that means your brand is roughly a full year behind in potential nurturing.

Early in the home search, a consumer is not likely to sign up as a lead on a listing because they are not prepared to live in that home yet, nor do they want to risk being contacted by an agent too soon. In the mind of a consumer, the location is most important in the early stages. They are both trying to analyze how their current neighborhood is performing in the market and most importantly, where do we want to live next? If a brokerage wants to fight the online battle with the portals, they need to exploit what they are better at hyperlocal expertise. Everyone wants to claim they are the local expert, although a consumer, conducting online research, does not know that, or rather believes that unless you are proving it with content on your website.

Through our analysis, there appears to be a large gap in brokerages providing insights about the communities they serve. While it is imperative to do so, it is not a simple task, and it makes sense why LiveBys entire company is focused on this effort, said Travis Saxton, EVP of Technology, T3 Sixty.

LiveBy is also trying to help change the narrative on how the industry largely misrepresents neighborhood data. Many brokerages use the terms like discover the perfect neighborhood and local expert on their websites but are providing zip code-level data for those neighborhoods or just pushing consumers to a filtered home search with no real helpful content to inform decisions.

It is no surprise the brokerages with the most intentional, hyperlocal data insights on their websites correlate with the same brokerages topping transaction and volume rankings.

What to see how your companys website stacks up in our website ratings? Check it out here.

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Who provides the best hyperlocal content to consumers? - Inman

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Cryptocurrency has a problem: there are too many men.

Twice as many men as women invest in cryptocurrency: Roughly 19% of women ages 18 to 29 say they have invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency, compared with 43% of men in the same age range, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

But this isnt only where women are lagging behind men: there are also not as many women working in the blockchain and crypto industries. A 2019 report revealed the percentage of women in those sectors, including developers, investors, and casually interested individuals, hovers between 4% and 6%.

Heres why this is a problem: The early days of an industry are often when the fortunes are made and those big winners typically influence the direction the industry goes in the future, from whom to invest in to what to build next. So now is the time for women to make their mark on the crypto industry and its future, and their absence now could diminish their influence and benefits in the long run, experts say.

Its so important for women and people of color to be a part of crypto and blockchain right now because were building the next generation of the financial ecosystem, says Charlene Fadirepo, founder and CEO of Guidefi, a fintech platform that she had built in 2019 to make it easier for women and professionals of color to find their ideal financial advisors. Crypto and blockchain came from finance and tech, and those are the industries that dont have a lot of women and people of color. This is why we have big gaps of diversity.

But there is some good news: In an industry that innovates at the speed of light, theres still plenty of opportunity for the women who are currently helping to shrink that gender and diversity gap.

A growing group of artists, coders, entrepreneurs, and investors is convinced that cryptocurrency is here to stay, and that women cant afford to delay learning about it and deciding whether it fits into their financial strategy and risk tolerance. These women arent waiting for an invitation to make their mark on the industry, and theyre doing everything they can to bring more women along with them.

They are trying to shrink the gender gap in crypto by organizing events and communities, educating on social media platforms, launching companies, writing about crypto, crafting inclusive public policy, and sharing their experiences. Most of all, they want you to know that women belong in cryptocurrency.

Heres how these six women are transforming the face of crypto, and why you might want to start following them if youre interested in the future of cryptocurrency.

When Charlene Fadirepo first heard of Bitcoin a few years back, it sounded risky. But her work kept bringing her back to it.

It wasnt until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that she finally went down a crypto rabbit hole and became hooked on learning more. Communities of early adopters and enthusiasts are a big part of the learning curve for many crypto newbies, but Fadirepo couldnt find one that felt welcoming to her. So she built her own.

I spent a lot of time on Clubhouse and in Twitter spaces, and I saw the ugliness of crypto bro culture, says Fadirepo, an ex-government regulator turned financial and crypto advisor.

That dilemma, as well the questions she started getting from her clients on crypto, led her to launch a crypto course and build on top of her existing community through Guidefi. Fadirepo started Guidefi after experiencing difficulty in finding the right financial advisor for her own family.

I would just encourage folks that are encountering those spaces to find a space that works for you.

It started out of necessity, says Fadirepo. I was looking for a financial advisor of color and unfortunately, women financial advisors and financial advisors of color are just very difficult to find in the United States. Once you start advising people on their wealth, you have to think of all sides of wealth, which includes digital wealth.

Fadirepo says theres a reason women investors might prefer their own spaces, like Guidefis digital community, to learn from one another. She says its not unheard of in many online crypto communities theoretically open to all, but not so much in practice to hear crypto bros mansplaining to others or making inappropriate comments. While spaces that are more conducive for women and people of color invested in crypto can be harder to find, they do exist, she says.

I would just encourage folks that are encountering those spaces to find a space that works for you, she says. You dont have to stay somewhere when youre unwanted or unwelcome.

It was the summer of 2021 when Maliha Abidi discovered that NFTs offer her a way to combine her passion for art and social justice for women.

Abidi, a Pakistani-American artist who was born and raised in Pakistan and migrated to California at the age of 14, is one of many artists who has recently taken their talents to the digital space by minting and selling non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, on digital marketplaces. She launched her first NFT collection Women Rise at the end of last year, which includes 10,000 unique NFT art pieces with the intention to celebrate women in Web3 and bring more women into the space. Web3 is typically described as the next iteration of the Internet based on blockchain technology, and emphasizes decentralization and greater utility.

Her first-ever NFT collection functions as an empowerment campaign to bring 100,000 girls and women into the worlds of Web3, blockchain, and crypto by the end of 2022. The NFTs she created represent women from around the world, with traits that go beyond the diversity of just skin colors, according to Abidi.

The idea comes from the work that Ive been doing for the past 10 years, says Abidi. It was not an experiment for us. It was more like this is what we want to do. We were very intentional with it.

Were trying to use the innovation, technology, and resources of Web3 to advance womens rights and by extension human rights.

The NFT collections mission has a social justice component, too. Around 7.5% of proceeds made through Women Rise go to a mix of global organizations supporting gender equality, girls education, and mental health; 2.5% go to Malala Fund, an organization working to educate girls, especially in the most marginalized communities of the world; and 5% of royalties are used to support NFT communities on an ongoing basis.

Abidi says her experiences as an immigrant play a huge role in her artwork, which mainly focuses on womens rights, mental health, and racial and societal issues. Shes also authored three books that focus on stories of women from all over the world.

One of Abidis goals is to create a first-of-its-kind school in the metaverse, which could serve as a kind of virtual school and education program for hundreds of millions of children across the world.

Were trying to use the innovation, technology, and resources of Web3 to advance womens rights and by extension human rights, says Abidi.

Crypto is about more than just making money for Cleve Medisor. It can offer a pathway to economic empowerment for women and people of color, says Mesidor, an expert at the intersection of public policy and crypto. Thats why shes focused on rallying more women and people of color to participate.

Prior to her career in crypto, Mesidor was a Barack Obama presidential appointee, charged with promoting White House economic programs and national public-private partnerships to advance innovation and entrepreneurship. By 2016, Mesidor was disenchanted with politics and started learning about crypto. Within a year, she was working in the crypto industry full-time. Shes now executive director of the Blockchain Foundation and leads the National Policy Network of Women of Color in Blockchain.

While the gender and racial gaps are real, Mesidor says there is a lot of mainstream adoption being driven already by Black and Latino communities. Right now, crypto may appear male dominated, but the future of crypto is gender and racially inclusive.

She points to recent data, which shows that Black and Latinx communities are engaging in crypto at higher rates than white Americans. A Pew Research poll noted that while only 13% of white Americans report investing or trading cryptos, 18% of Black Americans and 21% of Hispanic Americans do.

Right now, crypto may appear male dominated, but the future of crypto is gender and racially inclusive.

According to Mesidor, part of the reason may be because of the historic barriers that Black and Latinx communities, particularly women in those communities, have faced in traditional financial markets like the stock market and the real estate market. She says the uptick is a positive sign, but it also signals a greater need for financial education around crypto and investing in general.

As a person whos been in the industry for almost six years now, we have not done enough to educate people and move past formal hype, says Mesidor. Yes, its important for people to do their research, to look beyond the noise, but as the industry, we need to do more to make sure people have trusted sources to go to when they are looking for information.

Investing is one of the most powerful tools for building financial freedom and wealth, but Kiana Danial says its something not enough women are talking about. Thats especially true when it comes to cryptocurrency, she says.

Women or men have equal rights to take control of their finances, says Danial, a personal finance expert and the founder of Invest Diva, a company that teaches women how to invest. And cryptocurrency is one aspect of financial literacy because its a method of diversification. If you want to educate people the right way in the cryptocurrency market, then you want to have more women.

Thats why Danial has built a career around teaching other women how to invest. Through her books, courses, and social media content, a lot of her work focuses on financially empowering women and helping them understand all of the different ways they can start investing, from stocks and index funds to crypto. She says much of her motivation stems from her own prior experience working in a male-dominated field and not knowing enough about her own finances. Ten years ago, Danial says she was fired from her Wall Street job because her coworkers wouldnt take her seriously. She says it was because shes a woman.

Women or men have equal rights to take control of their finances.

Compared to the traditional financial industry, Im actually very pleased to see so many women involved in crypto, says Danial. I understand that theres still an issue, but I think we were headed in the right direction.

Kiana Danial heard about Bitcoin in 2011 and began tracking crypto markets in 2016, but didnt actually start investing until the end of 2018. Danial says theres a great opportunity for women to diversify their holdings with cryptocurrency, but as with any new investment, its important to do your research, and understand all of the risks. Over the last year, NextAdvisor has spoken to dozens of investing experts and most recommend following the 5% rule, as in not contributing more than 5% of your portfolio to risky assets like crypto.

Im very fortunate to be part of education, says Danial. The reason why Im passionate about this and continuously push to educate and write books and get more involved is because I want women to see a role model.

A former senior editor at Forbes, Laura Shin was among the first mainstream journalists to cover crypto full-time and recently published a book focused on the rise of Ethereum, called The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze. Shes also the host of the crypto podcast Unchained, which has over 15 million downloads and views.

Though Shin didnt realize it initially, she says other women have told her that her work as a journalist has influenced them to pursue careers in crypto and learn more about the technology.

I didnt realize that I was having that effect. Many women over the years have said to me, it means so much to us to see a woman out there, says Shin. Im really glad that its had that effect because a lot of women have said that it emboldened them to go on and do the work that they do in crypto.

Many women over the years have said to me, it means so much to us to see a woman out there.

As someone who spends her days writing about all things blockchain and crypto, Shin knows the industry is still in its infancy and everyone is learning from each other.

Thats why its imperative to have more active discussions around the numerous factors that result in there being so few women in crypto sooner rather than later, she says.

The problems are so deep rooted, says Shin. We can talk about it from the crypto lens, but I feel like it needs to go way back if were going to really fix things. I do think people are trying to tackle it, and a lot of the male leaders recognize that it would be great if we had more women.

You dont need a tech or science degree to learn about crypto or blockchain technology. Just look at Wendy O.

Wendy O began investing in crypto with no experience in 2017, but in five years, she has become a crypto expert and amassed a large following of crypto enthusiasts across several social media platforms. O has managed to draw in audiences of over 200,000 followers on TikTok, 260,000 on Twitter, and 157,000 subscribers on YouTube. She takes a balanced approach toward her commentary and coaching on crypto across her social media platforms, constantly reminding her online community, which she says is nearly 30% female and solely focused on crypto, to invest strategically based on their risk tolerances.

Shes been able to turn her massive social media following into a business where shes paid to review crypto services, speak at live crypto events, consult businesses on crypto, and more. O, who used to work in the health care industry, says her new career path in crypto has given her the flexibility she wants as a mom to work from home while raising her young daughter.

If youre reading this, youre smart enough to get into crypto. Doesnt matter what gender you are. Just start dipping your toes into the water.

If youre reading this, youre smart enough to get into crypto. Doesnt matter what gender you are. Just start dipping your toes into the water.

O serves as living proof that women are perfectly capable of entering the crypto space with no prior knowledge and can thrive in it, but her journey hasnt always been smooth sailing. She says she was bullied online for being a woman, which is why doesnt share her full name on social media.

From the end of 2018 to the middle of 2020, people would trash me and most of the people that trashed me were men, says O. My mere existence upsets people, especially on Twitter.

But it didnt deter her. If anything, it made her louder and more present in the crypto community, she says. And O encourages other women to carve out their own space in crypto like she did, whether its a blog, a TikTok, a discord group chat, or even a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), which is an online member-owned community without centralized leadership.

We should take action and create these places that make us feel safe and where we feel like we can get educated and learn, she says. Theres nobody in crypto saying you cannot create a space with people that are similar to you.

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6 Women Who Are Changing the Face and Future of Crypto - NextAdvisor