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
Published in Writers and Editors of Color Magazine·Oct 20, 2022Member-onlyIt’s Not Always the Far-RightSometimes racism comes from the places we least expect — By now, you’ve probably heard about the recent anonymous leak of an audio recording of Democratic members of the Los Angeles City Council. In it, President Nury Martinez, council members Kevin de León, Gil Cedillo, and L.A. …Racism4 min readRacism4 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Oct 14, 2022Member-onlyYes, Biden’s Marijuana Pardons Are a BFD, but They’re Also Smart PoliticsThe administration’s step toward federal cannabis legalization could help Democrats hang onto Congress — Last week, President Joe Biden fulfilled another campaign promise, pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law. The move also covers thousands convicted of marijuana possession in the District of Columbia. …Cannabis4 min readCannabis4 min read
Published in DataDrivenInvestor·Oct 2, 2022Member-onlyCan Blockchain Technology Revolutionize Healthcare?An emerging group of health tech upstarts looks to succeed where fintech failed — One of my last research projects from my days consulting as a capital markets analyst was a paper I wrote on the use cases for blockchain technology in financial services. At the time, a confluence of circumstances (not the least of which was the Great Financial Crisis) spawned a wave…Blockchain8 min readBlockchain8 min read
Published in The Journeyman.·Sep 22, 2022Member-onlyHe’s Gonna Keep Getting Away With ItIt’s time to admit that Donald Trump is above the law — Imagine yourself in the following scenario: Your employer fired you from your job at a global investment bank eighteen months ago. But on your way out the door, you steal reams of the company’s most sensitive internal documents. You’ve stored the ill-gotten items in the basement of your second home. …Justice5 min readJustice5 min read
