VOL. 8 E-MAGAZINE, Summer 2020 POWERED BY
SPECIAL EDITION
SOCIAL JUSTICE IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT SPECIAL CONFERENCE FEATURE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF 2020 BDC REWARDS LIVING
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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4 5. How Can We Breathe Again: From Protest to Solutions 11. dfree® Presents the In the Black Webinar Series to Combat COVID-19 Financial Worries 14. dfree® In the Black Podcast Premieres Season 3 with All New Guests & Topics
22. 15 Years of 2020 Vision: Real Social Justice is Impossible without Economic Empowerment 26. Financial Freedom at Your Fingertips: Take the dfree® Academy Conveniently from Home! ON THE COVER:
15. Special Conference Feature
29. Billion Dollar Challenge: Every Million Matters
20. Thank You to Our Donors
31. We Invite You to Giveback!
Celebrate our 15th Anniversary with us!
HOW CAN WE BREATHE AGAIN: FROM PROTEST TO SOLUTIONS by DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.
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et us be clear: we need law enforcement. That is undeniably true. Having been abducted at gunpoint and saved by a white police officer myself, I will never deny the need for police. But I also cannot deny that we have a problem that is much larger and deeper than one, two, or even a handful of incidents. #GeorgeFloyd #BreonnaTaylor
What is true is that the legitimate protest that has emerged in response to the death of George Floyd is addressing the same issues that the legendary civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s addressed. What is also true is that in 1968 The President’s National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders—known as the Kerner Commission—released its report, condemning racism as the primary cause of the surge of riots that occurred in the mid-late 1960s. Headed by then Illinois Governor Otto Kerner the 11-member commission was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in July 1967 to uncover the causes of urban riots and recommend solutions. It is true that the Commission report in 1968, which declared that “our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal,” called for expanded aid to African American communities to prevent further racial violence and polarization. Unless drastic and costly remedies were undertaken at once, the report said, there would be a “continuing polarization of the American community and, ultimately, the destruction of basic democratic values.” But the Commission report did not awaken America to the awareness
that institutionally law enforcement agencies were both the perpetrator and defender of the racism that would cause even economically and socially successful blacks to live in a perpetual nightmare. It is true that the election of hundreds of black mayors, county officials, state legislators, congresspersons and even a black president has not had a measurable impact on this issue. And it is true that the protests that are occurring right now are likely to fail to result in creating long term, sustainable change. It is true that the protests in response to the Minnesota incident may influence the disposition of the cases that will be brought against the men responsible for the death of George Floyd. But the lack of coherent strategy, the lack of disciplined action, the lack of experienced organization, and the absence of long term, comprehensive policy initiatives all minimize the sustainable impact that will result from this formidable showing of discontent. One intelligent, articulate, and passionate 30-year-old activist lamented that he suspects that the youthful crowds will return to their normal disconnected lives LIVING
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after a few more days of televised outrage. This is what has happened even in the era of video recordings of beatings and killings. And the sincere, most vulnerable young people that need the change the most will have contributed to the rise
in prominence of “celebrity” activists – some new, some old – and will live on without the needed police reforms but also education, jobs, and access to health care. But they will be available for the next protest after a police shooting.
This protest is revealing a unique surge of serious concern among the demographic that seems to normally be preoccupied with fake reality TV and celebrating vulgarity and nudity wrapped in musical genres. As commendable as it is, our current “social uprising” lacks the guidance and the substance needed to know the definition of victory. For the past fifty years, blacks have behaved as if simply putting other blacks in the right positions constituted a victory for all black people. So, it must be excruciatingly painful to their otherwise political saviors when these young protesters seem to sense no substantial difference between their new, diverse political representatives and the former urban, white political machine despots. Many of them are railing against and expressing distrust in cities held by black mayors just as the activists of the sixties expressed no confidence in
southern racist sheriffs.
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And they lack formal, credible, trained leadership. Their base is comprised of fragmented grassroots sympathizers and their fragile organizational infrastructures have allowed them to be infiltrated and at times upstaged by those whose goal is chaos and destruction rather than justice and progress. Organization was a key to civil rights era successes. A social movement in America is by definition legitimate only to the extent that its goal is to make America a better democracy. Any other goal is too narrow, shallow, and self-serving to deserve broad sympathy and support. This means that the core of a legitimate movement or protest must be the belief that America is worth improving and able to improve. Anything other than that is not
much more than group selfies claiming bragging rights for cursing at the enemy government officials with impunity. That kind of movement cannot allow real progress to occur because it needs the problem to justify its existence.
Legal rights equal to other Americans. Support to catch up to historic deprival. The policing issue needs similarly concrete goals. And the “movement� for justice needs to define what justice means in the aftermath of the George Floyd moment. It must be more than hashtags, slogans, The civil rights movement wanted to work and periodic marches. We need a sevenitself out of a job. And its leaders knew part agenda: what that looked like. Desegregation.
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We must find diverse communities that exemplify excellent policecommunity relations. We must study those communities, dissect the parts of their strategy to discover why it is working effectively, document the model, and promote it as a best practice. Communities must be incentivized to tailor the principles for use in their locale and replicate the model. We may want to start with Genesee County Michigan where Sheriff Chris Swanson marched with protesters in Flint, Michigan this past weekend.
We must increase penalties for abusive behavior by law enforcement officials and implement no tolerance practices for police misconduct. This includes lowering the threshold for charging law enforcement officials with violating the civil rights of citizens.
THREE We must create independent commissions that review, evaluate, revise, and monitor the use of training manuals, procedures, and practices in law enforcement agencies.
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FOUR
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We must recruit, train, and promote law enforcement personnel that possess the psychological, emotional, and cultural capacity for law enforcement work and assess them every three years to ensure that they have maintained that capacity.
We need a national database of law enforcement who were terminated for misconduct and ban them from working in other law enforcement agencies.
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We must incentivize law enforcement We must elect political representatives personnel to breach the “blue wall” of that support this agenda and hold them silence even as we motivate communities accountable for follow-through. to oppose the “don’t snitch” culture.
If the activist energy that is currently being displayed can be harnessed into support for a concrete agenda, then we may be able to unify our country and start working on the next issue that threatens the greatness that we all desire for our country.
dfree® PRESENTS THE IN THE BLACK WEBINAR SERIES TO COMBAT COVID-19 FINANCIAL WORRIES
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s we embarked on what has become our new normal back in March, businesses, institutions and churches closed without fair warning. In doing so, many of their futures were left uncertain. In response to very valid financial concerns and worries, dfree® launched its In The Black Webinar Series to
help people cope with COVID-19 financial stress, give them access to financial experts, and to also offer free tools and resources that would help attendees sustain through and after the pandemic. The dfree® In The Black Webinar Series has been well received with more than 3,500 attendees.
APRIL
MANAGING THE STRESS OF COVID-19 Managing Church Finances During COVID-19 Managing Stress & Anxiety During COVID-19 Managing Insurance During COVID-19 Managing Budget During COVID-19 Managing Your Retirement During COVID-19
93% of attendees agreed April webinars gave them tips and strategies to deal with financial anxiety during the pandemic. LIVING
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MAY
MIND OVER MONEY SERIES Lifestyle & Financial Resources for Your Now & Next Is Your Mind Aligned with Your Money? Does Your Budget Match Your Behavior? Building Bridges to Your Financial Future
“Once again I enjoyed the webinar and look forward to using the tools that were provided today. Thank you for what you are doing!” - Webinar Attendee
JUNE
HOMEOWNERSHIP MONTH Buying and Maintaining a Home in the Midst of a Pandemic Mortgage Planning dfree® Home Economics – Renting, Owning and Growing Part 1 – How to Stay in Your Home Part 2 – How to Grow in Your Home
74% of attendees strongly agreed that the homeownership resources shared during June were very informative. REWATCH WEBINARS! ACCESS FAQS AND PRESENTATIONS!
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RENT WITH CONFIDENCE dfreeÂŽ and IRT partner so individuals can Rent with Confidence to meet essential housing needs and encourage credit improvement through positive rental experiences.
POWERED BY
LEARN MORE HERE.
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dfree® IN THE BLACK PODCAST PREMIERES SEASON 3 WITH ALLNEW GUESTS & TOPICS
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he dfree® In The Black Podcast is the pulse of mental, spiritual and financial health! Co-hosted by ® dfree CEO + Founder Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. and dfree® Executive Director Tamika Stembridge, Esq., the show airs every Tuesday at 11AMEST and is available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, YouTube and Spotify. The dfree® Podcast kicked off its third season, diving deep into the beauty industry – talking all things nails! Its first guest of the season, Ke’Yona Joseph, has nearly 20 years of experience and is the founder and instructor of Pampered Beauty Nail School. On this episode,
Ke’Yona gives the inside scoop of how she’s flipped the script and is helping African American women take over the lucrative nail industry. COVID-19 came with many challenges! The Money Coach, Lynnette Khalfani-Cox stopped by #InTheBlack to deep dive into how we should be managing our finances during the pandemic. Times have been even tougher for businesses. Dr. Soaries and Tamika talked to celebrity event planner Karleen Roy about how she’s navigating as a small business owner.
LISTEN, DOWNLOAD AND SUBSCRIBE EVERYWHERE PODCASTS ARE AVAILABLE!
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d free ® PRESENTS
FROM CRISIS TO CLARITY: A CULTURAL $HIFT B EING - BUI LDI NG - BANKI NG - BUYI NG IN TH E BLACK VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
JULY24-25
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n already unprecedented times, the state of Black America has seen major turmoil in the last few months. Between two national crises, COVID-19 and the current horrific racial injustices, time has never been more crucial for real change. One thing that continues to become more obvious is that true help will not come from the outside. We must be the change we wish to see. Real social justice is impossible without economic empowerment! As a result, urban community development leader Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. and the dfree® Financial Freedom Movement will host a national virtual conference on July 24th, 2020 to bring forth tangible strategy and solutions for the financial progression of African Americans. Financial freedom is Black power. Being “in the black” is more than looking great on paper. It’s a state of mind and a way of life - freed from debt, liberated from lack and equipped with the financial power necessary to fuel the fight for social justice. We are fighting for our lives. We are fighting for our future – the future of our families, the future of our communities, the future of our people. dfree® has the keys to a life of fulfillment, flexibility and freedom.
· Hear from Change Agents from all sectors of the Black Community about how we can progress collectively as a people! o Media Moguls o Greek Fraternity and Sorority Leaders o Clergy and Community Leaders o Leadership from Major Corporations · Get first-hand testimonies and best practices from dfree® Members on how to implement our 12-step principles into your everyday life to ensure long-term financial success! · Arm yourself with the dfree® tools and resources you need to start and/ or continue your journey to financial freedom! · Get access to professional financial and lifestyle services and products from our trusted Partners! Leave this live virtual experience with solid steps for collective mobilization and individual action items to begin or continue your journey toward financial freedom including FREE dfree® classes and curriculum, resources and tools to help your achieve your financial goals and more! LIVING
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CONFERENCE SESSIONS OPENING SESSION WITH DR. DEFOREST B. SOARIES, JR. This year, dfree® is celebrating 15 years of our financial freedom revolution - committed service to people in need of inspiration and information, offering tangible solutions for financial relief, and rebuilding and creating generational wealth. Along with a very special guest, Dr. Soaries will commemorate this special occasion by looking at how far dfree® has come, how far and wide our reach has been and how many people we’ve been able to help say yes to no debt!
MAXIMIZING MONEY MOVES WITH ANGELA YEE Nationally syndicated radio personality and entrepreneur maximizes financial opportunities and obtain several streams of income.
ANGELA YEE Entrepreneur & Nationally Syndicated Radio Personality
ON THE FRONT LINE: A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH MICHELLENE DAVIS, ESQ. African American Sr. Healthcare Corporate Executive and Community Leader offers perspective on living and working at the forefront of today’s crises.
MICHELLENE DAVIS, ESQ. EVP & Chief Corporate Affairs Officer RWJBH
BLACK LIVES MATTER: WILL THE REVOLUTION BE TELEVISED? Entertainment Executive, Tarik Brooks of Combs Enterprises, discusses the impact of media on the movement for social justice, financial empowerment, and more.
TARIK BROOKS Entertainment Executive Combs Enterprises
PASTORS & LEADERS: PROGRESS FROM THE PULPIT REV. DR. DANIELLE BROWN Cathedral International Perth Amboy, NJ
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PASTOR TREVOR HYDE Berean Baptist Church Brooklyn, NY
PASTOR TALMADGE THOMAS The City of Zion Toledo, OH
Faith leaders share insights on how the Church is responding to today’s crises.
DIVINE 9 & dfree®: LEADING WITH LETTERS Sorority and Fraternity leaders discuss the roles of their organizations in helping the community navigate this era of change.
PASTOR DANTÉ QUICK Kappa Omicron Lambda Chapter Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
HARRIET E. RAGHNAL, ESQ. Basileus (President) Beta Alpha Omega Chapter Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
BEN ALSTON Eastern Regional Director of BBB Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
CARL GIBBS, JR.
MICHAEL SMITH
Polemarch Trenton Alumni Chapter Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc.
GINA MERRITT-EPPS, ESQ. Atlantic Regional Director Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
CARMEN McCLENDON
Basileus (President) Chair of Economic Development Omicron Chi Chapter (Plainfield, NJ) Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
TRACY BROWN Northeastern Region Social Action Coordinator Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
PASTOR ROGER HARRIS Chaplin Alpha Xi Omega Chapter Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
FOR US, BY US: MAKING AN IMPACT WITH dfree® dfree® participants share their stories of going from tragedy to triumph with dfree®.
REV. MIGNON JONES SPANN Antioch Missionary Baptist Church San Antonio, TX
LORA WASHINGTON NAREB Civic Engagement Chair NAREB
PRISCILLA ROSE
TANETHA ROSS-JOHNSON
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Vallejo, CA
Prudential Financial Black Leadership Forum
TAMIKA STEMBRIDGE, ESQ.
JANIAH LAKE
MONEY TALKS: DEEP DIVE WITH dfree® dfree® Team offers practical solutions for coming out ahead.
Executive Director dfree® Global Foundation
Deputy Director dfree® Global Foundation
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THANK YOU
TO OUR SPONSORS
TITLE SPONSOR
PLATINUM SPONSOR
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THANK THANK YOU CHURCHES/ORGANIZATIONS FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF HILLSIDE Rev. Dr. Christopher Michael Jones NEW BEGINNINGS, LLC THE CITY OF ZION, THE MT. ZION CHURCH Pastor Talmadge Thomas FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF LINCOLN GARDENS Linda Bennett EMMANUEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH Pastor Darryl Webster FIRST STEP TOURS, GHANA LTD.
INDIVIDUALS Andrea King Yevonne Riley Melica Sanders-Constant Steven Wright Cathy Daniels Brimmer Michelle Williams-Washington Errol Cooper Chistina Opari Lydia Gortman Janice Davis Adanna Davis Cheryl Adams Deborah Mitchell Deborah Bruce Cynthia Gipson Lee Arnell Jenkins
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Kerrin Lyles Deborah Wilson Marie Sturgell Jasmine Malloy Sharon McCrary Raymond Ivey Nicole Destin Alice Barnes Michelle Foster Tina Tanner Lisa Earl Stacey Rodgers-Crooms Kim Dobson Terotha Kingoina Betty Butler Sonya Clyburn
Gatha Stevenson Robert Rawls Rodney Robinson Juana Mitchell Roslyn Gaynor Zena Brown Gwendolyn Coleman Dionne Dabney-Williams Judith Folkes Ralph Folkes Gwendolyn Taylor Stella Cobbinah Letitia Sweat Deborah Stapleton Robert Finley Ingrid Harrell
TO O U R D O N O R S ! Carol Martin Frances Moore Peggy Redd Stephanie Taylor Sally Nash Cynthia Ross Howell Janice Fleming Ronnette Branham Dorcas Patterson Jason Holcomb Nichelle Santos Jackie Alleyne Tyese Battle Byrdia Turner Donald McMillian Patricia McMillian Ann Truell Amanda Bishop Kimberly Francois Sharon Frederick Andrea White-Spann Angela Grimstead Henry Roger Huff Graciala Joshua Jami Joshua Jamal Key Tracy Jean Jeffrey Owens Dionne McMillian Veronica McCreary-Hall Marcella Moore Dayna Simms-Faulk Carla M. Penn Bridget Tsemo Kelly Swasey Sharon Snow
Debra Nixon Tom Caldwell Cheryl Quick Tiera Robinson Kellie Hayes Mignon Jones-Spann Freida Thompson Beidger Hill Karen Eley Sanders Charlotte Kelley Dallas Allbritton Drucilla Simms Donna Strothers Jasmine Miles Norman Cousar Valencia Bauswell Natalie Dallard Kenisha Hodge Shirley Jones Deborah Fraizer Faye Lewis Janelle Opoku Carole Sampson-Landers, MD Phillip Easton Kim Charles Wynona Calwell Valerie Jones Shorter Community AME Church Allene McCann LaWanda K. Brown Donna Williams Erica Pressley Gwendolyn Rolle Ray Corbin-Simon Tania Myrtil Laurel Daring Toni Oliver
Sonia Mack Nanette Jordan Sandra F. Davis Dorothea Bernique Debra Morton Pamela Harris-Jenkins Rita Pilate Stephaney Foster Tonya Muraguri Erica Dixon JL Seymore Erica Scavella-Hill, MD Ola Walker Jacqueline Robinson Beverly Cooper Lisa Gittens-Robinson Gregory Powell Rachel Kinsey Audrey Doman Tayler Keith-Jackson Fran Hall LaGreta Pringle Sheron Bell Archie Emerson Priscilla Tippett Cynthia Holliday Tamera Wells-Lee Patricia Threat Carmen McClendon Tamika Stembridge Phylis Caldwell Jackie Taylor Kevin Stien Carlon Vazquez Camara Epps Angelic Lenin Kareem Graves
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YEARS OF
2020 VISION
REAL SOCIAL JUSTICE IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
d
free® CEO and Founder Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. has been a pastor for more than 30 years and a community leader for the duration of his adult life. He’s had the privilege and humble responsibility to not only identify and acknowledge the most challenging human conditions, but more importantly to generate tangible solutions to ease and/or eliminate such suffering.
Black America has again reached the height of social injustice and police brutality in the constant battle for equality. In 2019 alone, 1,099 people were killed by the police. Black people accounted for 24 percent of those killed despite being only 13 percent of the population. Black people are far too familiar with the injustices of the country that we built. But, enough is enough! Black America is having a Catharsis moment.
From that privilege and responsibility, dfree® was born 15 years ago. We’ve protested for months. So, what’s next? What now? Will freedom finally June 19th 1865: The day slaves in Galveston, ring? Texas were freed. Jim Crow began as early as then. Lasted until the 60’s. Now here One thing should be obvious to us by we are still experiencing the same racial now. It has become abundantly clear that injustices as our forefathers. Trayvon help will not come from the outside. Our Martin, Tamir Rice, Mike Brown, Breonna freedom depends on US! Black economic Taylor, George Floyd and so many more. power matters more than ever before. 22 | LIVING
We need a strategy. And, dfree® is armed to combat social reform on OUR behalf because… real social justice is impossible with economic empowerment! When we are a financially stable people, more doors will open and opportunities will arise that were once inconceivable – politically, socially and economically. Such freedom won’t just happen overnight. We need strategy and mobilization! Booker T. Washington once said: “At the bottom of education, at the bottom of politics, even at the bottom of religion, there must be for our race economic independence.” According to Nielson, Black Americans spend more than $1 trillion a year. If just 100,000 Black people paid off $10,000 of consumers debt each and shifted the former debt payments to savings, insurance and investments, we could create more than $50 billion of Black wealth. But, getting out of debt is the first step to financial freedom. We must annihilate the wealth gap statistics that have been placed on us as a race and provide solutions beyond slogans and hashtags!
There needs to be a cultural shift! We’ve been led to believe that knowing more makes us do better. But when it comes to finances, adjusting your attitude is crucial to doing better! What we need to be reminded is that it doesn’t take super powers to change our state of mind and change our lifestyles. It takes commitment. It takes the willingness to focus on our problems and take the first steps on a journey to end them. Financial struggles remain one of the major road blocks for Black Americans. Yet it is entirely within our power to change our financial status. We can become disciplined enough to budget and pay our bills on time. We can become focused enough to take our Godgiven talents and skills and turn them into lucrative businesses. Dr. Soaries has been on the forefront of our ongoing uphill battle to obtain freedom. Over the past two decades, he has impacted his home church, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, in a tremendous way. While expanding his congregation from 600 to over 7,000 members, he led First Baptist Church in the construction of a new $20 million
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church complex, redeveloped 150,000 square feet of commercial real estate, and created a foreclosure prevention strategy that helps homeowners avoid losing their homes. In 1992, he founded the Central Jersey Community Development Corporation (CJCDC): a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that specializes in helping vulnerable neighborhoods in New Jersey achieve economic growth, sustainability, and empowerment. Dr. Soaries has also led the formation of other non-profit organizations, such as the Renaissance Economic Development Corporation (REDC) and CDC Properties, Inc. REDC strives to improve neighborhood business, employment, and resident self-sufficiency, while CDC Properties, Inc. is dedicated to providing decent and affordable housing services throughout the state of New Jersey.
Americans, dfree® was featured in CNN’s Almighty Debt: A Black in America Special back in 2010. This year, we celebrate 15 years of our financial freedom revolution! Since our inception, we’ve grown globally: dfree® is used by more than 4,000 churches and organizations, and 200,000 individuals; more than 6,000 individuals have taken our free online class; and, through our Billion Dollar Challenge alone, we’ve helped more than 10,000 African Americans rid themselves of nearly $25 million of consumer debt! Our strategies are tried and true. We’re flipping the script and mobilizing the Black community. We are providing solutions and strategy beyond slogans and hashtags. We have tangible strategies and solutions for you to start or further your journey to financial freedom so that we can experience real freedom as a people.
Resilience is in our DNA. And, sometimes Dr. Soaries founded dfree in 2005. you just have to start a revolution. Designed specifically for African ®
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JOIN THE MOVEMENT GET IN THE BLACK Be in the black with dfree®. visit mydfree.org to join. #MYDFREE #DFREENEXTLEVEL
FINANCIAL FREEDOM AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
TAKE THE dfree® ACADEMY CONVENIENTLY FROM HOME!
T
he online dfree® Academy gives you access to financial freedom at your fingertips. It was created to offer individuals, churches and community organizations a convenient way to take dfree® courses, supplement live classes and groups, and provide easy access to the practical approach and values-based principles in a self-paced online class. The course is offered entirely online, which means that you simply need to access a computer, tablet or smartphone and internet access to complete any portion of it. More than 6,000 people have taken the free online dfree® course which has resulted in true life transformation.
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Just started the course, but the information is very helpful and is inspiring me to make better decisions. Michelle Mitchell dfree® Academy user
Great information!!! Thanks for giving me creative ways to get to financial freedom. Charlene Alonso dfree® Academy user
Access to start your journey change your habits, change my finances.
COURSES 12-Step dfree® Program 6-Step Curriculum dfree® Young Money PLUS Supplemental Content
COURSES INCLUDE: dfree® Basics (Budgeting, Debt Reduction) My best udemy course yet. Great teacher, thought-provoking lessons. Thank you! Kay E. dfree® Academy user
It provides a succinct message and summary on how to accomplish a debt free life. It also is encouraging and I feel more confident about taking this journey. Gina Rogers dfree® Academy user
Building Wealth (Investing, Generating Additional Income) Wealth Protection (Insurance)
Yes, I can definitely see areas I need to work on and where I would like to be from a financial standpoint next year this time. Cynthia Dorsey Video Case Study
Leaving a Legacy (Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning)
OUR GRADUATES TRANSFORM Pay Down Debt Build an Emergency Fund Build Wealth through Investments Protect your Wealth Leave a Legacy dfree® is a clear, easy-to-follow program that takes you through 12 important steps. LIVING
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The Billion Dollar Challenge was created to help tackle debt and savings with our online tracking tool. It’s fun and easy. You can do it with a group too!
HOW TO GET STARTED
1 2 3
SIGN UP
On billiondollarpaydown.com by clicking the ‘JOIN NOW’ button
FOLLOW
Prompts on the screen to personalize your dashboard and plan (also available under the tutorial tab in the menu)
JOIN
A group by searching for a group under the group tab in the menu
To learn more, visit billiondollarpaydown.com
EVE RY M I LLION MATTERS ! We are embarking on our $25Million Milestone. Let’s come together and make this a reality: refer a friend or family member and update your BDC account regularly!
PLUS WE ARE GIVING AWAY REWARDS TO CELEBRATE OUR 15TH ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH! The Billion Dollar Challenge is the civil rights mission of dfree® to continue the legacy founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of financial wellness and empowerment for all. The Billion Dollar Challenge allows users to not just join the movement but to be active in our communal uphill battle of obtaining financial freedom while reducing debt and building wealth. To date, 10,000 users have paid down more than $24 million of debt.
BILLIONDOLLARPAYDOWN.COM
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THANK YOU
Thanks to our partners we are able to provide you with access to tools and services to help you reach your goals and spread the dfree® strategy far and wide!
WELCOME TO OUR NEW PARTNERS
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IN CELEBRATION OF OUR 15TH ANNIVERSARY
WE INVITE YOU TO GIVE BACK!
From a single ministry created and led by Dr. Soaries, now in our 15th year, dfree® has grown into a global grassroots movement, led by a dynamic core team, and supported by fellow clergy, community, and lay-person leaders around the globe.
TO DATE WE HAVE: · Transformed the lives of more than 100,000 people · Served 4,000+ churches/organizations from across the country · Helped 10,000 people to pay down more than $24M in debt; · Awarded more than $20,000 in debt paydown prizes and scholarships; and · Provided dfree® resources to people in Haiti, Jamaica, Ghana, and South Africa.
AND WE’VE DONE ALL OF THAT FOR FREE Level 4 of dfree® encourages us to not only share what we’ve learned but also to give to causes that we believe in. Along with your conference registration, we invite you to consider donating to the dfree® Global Foundation so that others may experience the life changing financial transformation that so many people and organizations have as a result of working with us. Not only is your donation tax-deductible, but it will also be matched by our philanthropic partner. So, your contribution will go a long way!
DONATE TO THE dfree® GLOBAL FOUNDATION HERE LIVING
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