Largest Nonprofit Organization in the United States focusing on Financial Inclusion of financial empowerment. Serving over 3. 6 million youth and adult since 1992. Who is also chairman and ceo of the bank group and the largest forprofit minority controlled owners for singlefamily Residential Rental home in the United States. In addition, he was recently named by american thinker and magazine for the 2016 innovator of the year. Here serve the last five United States president s as a council and advisor for all of them. Were excited to have him this afternoon. We look forward to a great conversation and book signing featuring his latest bestseller, the memo. I know it will invite all of you to welcome john. [applause] hi everybody. Because im the founder i can change the rules. I think the average citizen is one of our success stories. I prefer if you heard from her first. That okay . Part of the work of operation hope as i mentioned john hope prine is the visionary of our organization. Its really Financial Inclusion and empowering youth and adults to improve quality. One of those individuals whose been blessed is laverne, she has been an inspiration to not only those of us in operation hope that the community we serve here in atlanta. Laverne will tell you an inspirational story about her life, her path and journey to empowerment but also how can affect each and every one of us. Like to have liver. She is part of our Small Business program tied for ebenezer location. Please welcome laverne. [applause] hello everyone. My name is laverne. Tampa, florida. The 26yearold son. Im also the second oldest of three siblings and on to a beautiful niece into handsome nephews. Normally i would read my speech. Today i felt inspired to speak my speech freestyle. I would normally read it because i do suffer from post Traumatic Stress disorder. So if i pause for a moment im trying to recall information. Im a greater from florida from 2015 after i received my masters of Business Administration in 2013. Unfortunately i was not able to utilize my degree in Corporate America the way i thought id be able to. I was encouraged to migrate here in 2015 to explore opportunities locally. I had it some savings and i committed myself to a commission only position an Insurance Agency which was very costly in the long one. To make a long story short, is doing strong and well, and it up going through my savings, client started canceling. I lost my commission and inevitably lost my apartment. Probably in december 2015 i would call my vehicle home for about three days. Afterwards, i stayed at the Salvation Army from calling different shelters to try to secure housing. I called different shelters and Salvation Army was kind enough to open up their doors to missed for six long character building months. Thats when i received a diagnosis of post genetic stress disorder. The lady gave me a referral for Housing Program werent currently living at now for permanent housing. Its in the king district. What days walking in the neighborhood and decided to stop in the district to see what was on the grounds. Being from florida and trying to connect more with my heritage. As i was walking through the church i seen a sign called operation hope cafe. I received Southern Hospitality from them. I started asking questions about what it was about. It was explained to me basically you can turn your dreams into reality. Coming from a lot of brokenness with my finances, with housing and everything, that had inspired me. I immediately connected with my credit counseling coach who started working on my credit repair. Within three months my credit score increase 40 or 50 points. Then i was encouraged to take a homeowners Workshop Program or i met mr. John hope at the first time. Throughout the process im getting these coaches that would normally cost 500 or thousand dollars an hour to help you. Now i graduated last week from the Small Business entrepreneur class. My aspiration is to start a nonprofit, 5o1c3 so women suffering for homelessness prevention. My nonprofit will financially support their endeavors by pay their application fees and rental deposit for those transitioning out of a homeless situation into permanent housing. I did not think it would be possible because my disability challenges, not having a financial plan, and not having support from anyone on the outside. Operation hot stepped into my business advisor was able to help me put together a Business Plan and i received support from a Financial Advisor for my company. In march i was able to register my companys name. Next year within six months should be up and running off the ground because of the support i have received. That only that, i have a life coach who is helping me set realistic goals and put a plan of action into place that is totally realistic for me to achieve within the next year to 2020. Another goal is to become a homeowner with operation hope helping me with my budgeting, financial planning, this will be possible. So, here today what i want you to take from the conversation so many people say theres no help out here. That we cannot get anyone to help us. With operation help theyre not just talking about a dream, theyre making it reality. One of my famous quotes from mrg good for others pays off. I think everyone for listening to me today. [applause] isnt that inspiring . And really, this is with what john obriens bestseller book is about, the memo. Laverne took it upon herself to empower herself. She did not allow naysayers to tell her her dream is not possible. She did not allow obstacles keeping her from staying focused on the goal of her dream. She is a great example of following through and making things happen. I was able to attend her Graduation Ceremony this past week with other graduates. It speaks to the spirit of the memo. Were excited to have you here today, to hear directly from the author himself, John Hope Bryant and ive been a friend of his sense going back over 30 years. Recently i moved to atlanta somewhere excited to be here personally to share the experience. Lets give a round of applause for john obrien. John hope obrien. Its really hard to speak publicly and she did a great job. Need it read one note, it was all from your heart. I want to thank the manager for this wonderful store, Barnes Nobles. [applause] thanks for being here. Were honored to be here. I want to thank cspan for recording this and getting the word out about what we are doing and the crew that is part of the atlanta process i have been speaking over the world, 100 countries ive had a chance to travel to, countless cities and i get to see all of the reflections of us. Whats interesting is that its the messages universal. The last time i spoke in new york city the audience was mostly mainstream. This audience is mostly of color. Whats beautiful as some people would say we dont read books, but the reality is the Number One Group of book buyers are black women. If you look at what has propelled this book and what got my Facebook Page for 11000 followers a week of Financial Literacy is primarily people of color who decided to take their life back. You should be proud. Proud of sitting in a moment of history and being part of history making. History never feels historic when youre sitting in it, just like another day. So what if i told you that the new color wasnt black, white, red, brown, or yellow . As in skin color, but the new color was green as in the color of u. S. Currency. What if i told you the next movement wasnt going to be in the streets as an civilrights, but more so in the suites. What if the next movement wasnt about race in the color line but about class and poverty. What if i told you that were sitting in a moment of history but history never feels historic when youre sitting in but it doesnt mean history isnt changing right underneath your feet. Some people would say in the midst of all of this theres a conspiracy to keep some people down. Im a confirmed that there is a conspiracy but not what you think. Its not white against black, its not black against brown its not indians and asians against somebody else. Its not of the things you thought or have been told. Those who have unconsciously been against those who dont. Nobodys getting upset and they hate you are want to jam you upper want to see you as a failure. Nobody has the energy for that. People making money are not getting up thinking about you. I know that will have a conversation. Are we have a conversation . Okay, i have no notes here, this is from my heart and head right rectally too. I know what im talking about. Feel free to interrupt me whenever you feel compelled. There is a conspiracy but not the money think. Dishes not love or hate today. Its radical and different. Nobody cares enough about you to hate you. Your family and friends love you, but the people on the street, those Running Companies and Building Wealth care mostly about themselves. Theyre not waking up in the morning saying let me hate on you, theres private schools, private roads, private planes, private security. Private lives. They dont hate you, theyre not thinking about you. I put this in the book, getting ahead of myself me tell you about the rules. Rule number one on the conspiracy thats undermining your aspiration i said the same thing to a caucasian audience last week in new york city and also to everybody. Your problem is not that you are black or white, youre part of the invisible class. You are invisible to power and wealth. You dont feel like your vote counts. Thats why 100 Million People did not vote. Theres a prominent guy in the media right now think is done great things for social justice and civil rights, but he did not vote. And hes proud of it. I have a problem with it. Creates an environment where some people become elected to office who dont represent your interests or public interests. But we endorse that by not voting. When you feel invisible you dont show up in your own life. That means the bad guys win. I want to make clear that there is a bogeyman in your life. Duchess your life, 80 of everybody in america because 70 of americans are living paycheck to paycheck. So, if youre living in new york city making 70000 a year youre struggling to make ends meet. You live in georgia making 50000 year, 40000 a year, which is middleclass, struggling to make things meet. Youre living in a strong year living in white role community making 25000 year youre struggling to make ends meet. One third of all americans have to sell their car to raise 3000. 6500 americans dont have 6 of american 65 of americans doe 5000 in savings. These are not just rich caucasians. These are rich asians, richard russians, rich africans, their rich people from all parts of the world got the memo. You have 1 of the world that own half of the worlds wealth which is not equitable or sustainable. He can level the playing field. Let me tell you the way that does not make sense. People say we like socialism. Comparing this to somebody says i hate rich people. No you dont. No you dont. You hate rich people until you become rich. Can i get an amen. Amen. What you hate is a game to system. Which you hate is being manipulated what you hate is feeling that no matter how hard you work you cannot prosper. Youre on the treadmill no matter how hard you work and try to take your children you connected ahead. If youre smart, intelligent and did everything right the different claws and you never went to jail on your model citizen theres a perception that there must be a rigged system. Many suggest or something else, you never got the memo. No one taught you the memo. Its not even written down. So go back to the concepts of we want socialism. As with the crown prince of norway which that part of the world is known for socialist type of approach. But its not socialism. Even if you wanted to do that you must collect money like a capitalist. Even if you want to distribute money like a socialist, challenge everything im saying you must first collect money before you can give it away you have to collect it. He cannot give voice something you dont have. Norways wonderful country, they have oil. They were poor 100 years ago. They found oil and took it and used it for good purposes. Sweden. Socialist country. Sweden has agriculture. They have four street. And not a lot of people. Basically without damaging the environment they can take this Agricultural Land still chop the lumber and sell it to a world that needs chairs and banisters. Heres my point. The first rule of my book is you live in a Free Enterprise system, embrace it. You are capital. These are two things for you to understand. All they with the Free Enterprise system first. The time you get up in the morning till you go to bed at night, feel life is not about god or love, your life is about money. Challenge everything im saying. Its not me speaking to, or having a conversation. You can interrupt me anytime you like. Challenge me if something doesnt make sense. From the time you get up to the time we go to bed youre having an economic conversation with yourself and the world. Yes or no . See brush your teeth, does a socialist state give your toothbrush or did somebody buy it . Somebody purchased the toothbrush, the toothpaste, someone purchased though i dont come on by themselves, children think the lights come on by themselves thats why they turn them on all by themselves. My memories on the lifestyle come on by themselves. I pay the light man. My mother divorced my father and i asked her she was going to get married again said yes is going to be a bmw. Edge set im gonna marry a black man working. My moms credit score is 840. Lets look at this. By the way, i dont want it stress you but by the time you get up in the morning and go to bed youre dealing with the financial transaction. In reality its 24 hours a day. Who pays for the mattress that you sleep on . The sheets on the mattress . The pillow that you lay your head down on. This is clicking yet . You set an alarm on what . On your phone. If your old school you have an alarm clock. You paid for that . I people coming to me. I have a Facebook Channel we want people to buy from Barnes Nobles today the people my Facebook Page cut 88 of all viewers watched on this, not a tv set. Maybe im naive. Did the government, the socialist department kids up everybody a mobile this is so deep nobody wants you to hear. Theres a socialist department and they gave everybody a cell phone or did you buy it . My guess is that you bought it. Second point is that your Human Capital. He said only capitalism. 92 of all jobs are private sector jobs. Given the facts now. 80 of all jobs or government jobs. In fact only capitalism okay, his pain the government . Your taxes. The taxes you pay the primary source of income to the United States government, the taxes you pay from the job, payroll taxes go to fund the government so people in the government are being funded by who . You. If youre not voting about the very government your funding, your advocating your position of power in your own country. So in your challenge about the state of our country is that its not our country, this is my country. This is my country and nobody will take it from me. Because i am the one with the power. You say no Big Companies run this country, no they dont. We allow them to run the country. Because 70 of gdp is consumer spending. 70 of the largest economy of the world are you and me paying for it, cell phones, water bottles, coffee at starbucks, find books at barnes noble. Can i get an amen . Amen. You are the American Royalty so we are advocating our own power and walking away from our own power base. Number one, who is capital . Why are you hesitating . The word capital means knowledge in the head. So capital has nothing to do with money. I know frying your brain. Thats a means of transporting and transferring value. Thats all. I can literally writes your Bank Routing Number on the back of your shirt, and your Bank Account Number and i can say a 100 to the order of, sign it, i can take your shirt to the bank and cash it. Because it has nothing to do with the instruments with which you use to transfer the wealth. Thats why you can do it with the check, credit card, debit card or soon, electronic or digital money. Real capital comes of knowledge in the head. This is why my scientists so important. Human capital, you are gods creation, Human Capital. You are the value of the world. We agreed on that. The sam boutte a capitalist. Youre working for free. I know you love your job, no camera crew loves their job. The manager loves her job but my guess is that they stop paying if you might be a little late for work. You might say i will show up when i want to. My talking to myself . Even if you really enjoyed the place europe. Loses negotiating power theyre not transferring value for your time. Are you with me . Im just trying to walk you through this. This is the conspiracy, its like watching the movie, either the filler the red pill. So i said to john your out there so many reasons to be negative. I cant guarantee being positive that reading this book will make you wealthy. What i can guarantee you if youre negative you will fail. I guarantee you that if youre negative and have a negative attitude about life you will fail. Back to the story. If your Human Capital and transferring your time and knowledge f