Love and Legacy
When it comes to the loss of a loved one, I often hear stories of frustration and sadness. But in those same stories, I also hear pride, love, and courage.
A Lyft driver told me how his great great grandfather inherited the plantation of his enslavers after they died. According to the family story, the enslaver’s children just got cash because they couldn’t be trusted to run the farm! The land stayed in his family until 1999 when multiple heirs fought over ownership and it was eventually lost altogether. My driver was so proud of his forefather and so sad for what his family no longer owned. He encouraged me to hold on to whatever I owned: "Any price they offer you, remember it means nothing to them."
I hadn't mentioned I Am Willing, but he summed up why we’re doing what we’re doing in a 15 minute ride. Legacy planning is about more than your property and assets. It's about taking pride in your history and passing it on to your family. If your family is dealing with passing on property, check out our friends at the Center for Heirs Property Property Preservation.
“…one thing is certain: If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.”
- Amanda Gorman
Listening to my driver’s story reminded me of why we started I Am Willing. The statistics about Black wealth aren’t encouraging. Our community is on track to have $0 in wealth by 2030 - that means nothing to pass on to the next generation. No homes, no cash, no retirement, no insurance. Without legacy plans, we also stand to lose our chance to pass on our history and our culture.
But…
Black business ownership overall has increased by 30% since 2020.
Black women are creating businesses faster than ever and are more likely to create a business than white men.
We are more educated than ever.
We have more resources than ever.
We are more determined than ever.
We started I Am Willing when we realized that Black wealth was at risk, not only because of a racist system that makes it hard to accumulate wealth, but also because we haven’t planned for the future. All that we have, and earn, and save, and hustle, and love, and protect, and know must NOT be left to chance when we leave this Earth. We can’t depend on our grieving family or our local government to do what we want.
We have more control of our future than ever.
We have control over our legacy.
When you create a legacy plan, you are creating a legacy of love. That love is peace of mind for your family and wealth for the next generation.