Published in Momentum·Feb 28Member-onlyWhen Origin Stories CollideHow my search for my family’s roots intersected with the Cherokee Nation — and The 1619 Project — Earlier this month, on an episode of the PBS program “Finding Your Roots,” Angela Davis, the 1960s activist and social justice icon, learned that one of her forebears came to America on the Mayflower: This segment of the series, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the director of the…Black History Month7 min readBlack History Month7 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Feb 25Member-onlySure, Joe Biden Is Old. That Doesn’t Mean He Should Step Aside.Even at 80 years of age, Joe Biden is the Democratic Party’s best chance of holding onto the White House — If he runs and wins the 2024 presidential election, Joe Biden will be 82 at the beginning of his second term. Should he complete another four years in office, Dark Brandon will be 86. …Politics6 min readPolitics6 min read
Feb 17If this article was in an echo chamber you wouldn’t be able to post such a batshit crazy take…If this article was in an echo chamber you wouldn’t be able to post such a batshit crazy take, genius.1 min read1 min read
Feb 10Member-onlyWhy is Elon Musk Wrecking Twitter?The answer lies in the greatest finance film of all time — It is difficult to imagine how Elon Musk will ever make a dime from his acquisition of Twitter. It’s only a few months into his investment in the platform, but he’s already beating the bushes for help paying the $13 billion in debt he incurred buying Twitter. For reasons known…Capitalism6 min readCapitalism6 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Jan 19Member-onlyThe Distinguished Gentleman…From New YorkWell, it looks like Herschel Walker can rest easy. Georgia’s most famous running back no longer bears the title, or shame, of being the most prolific liar in the Republican Party. When historians write the story of the 2022 midterms, few will recall Herschel Walker’s lying about being a member…Politics3 min readPolitics3 min read
Published in AfroSapiophile·Dec 30, 2022Member-onlyWall Street and the Fear of a Black QuarterbackTo understand the financial services industry’s problems with race, just look at the NFL — Last summer, I wrote about starting an investment firm in Arkansas in the mid-nineties. I wrote about the racism I faced. Without question, I had many successes. My company was the state’s first — and possibly the last — black-owned investment firm. …Anti Black Racism8 min readAnti Black Racism8 min read
Dec 26, 2022Member-onlyThe Christmas I Learned How to GiveSometimes the best gift is the one you give away — During yesterday’s Christmas meal, I had a flashback to a long-forgotten holiday memory I thought I’d share. Before moving to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, our family rented a house in a modest neighborhood in Little Rock. We were probably close to the poverty line in those days. Somehow our parents managed…Christmas3 min readChristmas3 min read
Published in Politically Speaking·Dec 7, 2022Member-onlyCampaign Finance Investigations Were So Different in the NinetiesCompared to today’s political environment, my encounter with the House Oversight Committee twenty-five years ago seems quaint — I read the other day that the total amount of money spent going into the midterm elections was somewhere in the neighborhood of $17 billion. That’s right, $17 BILLION. And that figure doesn’t include the amount spent on the Georgia runoff election. …Politics6 min readPolitics6 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Nov 24, 2022Member-onlyThe Red Wave Was No Match for a Black SwanThe 2022 midterms are a lesson in improbability — and what happens when unlikely voters decide to vote — Once thought to be nonexistent, the discovery of the black swan in Australia gave rise to the bird’s use as a metaphor to describe an unexpected event of significant consequence. The financial website Investopedia defines a Black Swan as “an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of…Politics10 min readPolitics10 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Nov 2, 2022Member-onlyDogma Posing as an Investment StrategyIn which the anti-woke brigade set its sights on investment methodologies — The other day I had a brief Twitter exchange with Mark Dow, a global macro trader. According to his profile on Business Insider, he was previously an economist at the U.S. Treasury Department and the International Monetary Fund. The catalyst for Dow’s tweet was an Andrew Ross Sorkin interview with…Identity Politics12 min readIdentity Politics12 min read
