Jay-Z, who became hip-hop’s first legit billionaire after making a decade’s worth of shrewd business decisions, has long advocated for financial literacy as a pathway out of the impoverished situations he grew up in. This week, he went a step further, offering a financial literacy program for residents of the Marcy Houses, the public housing complex where he grew up in Brooklyn, New York. The Bitcoin Academy, which Jay launched in partnership with frequent business partner Jack Dorsey, former Twitter CEO and the founder of Block, which includes Square, will offer classes to Marcy Residents both online and in person.
Those classes will not only include lessons like “What is Money?,” “What Is Cryptocurrency?,” “What is Blockchain?” and “How to Keep Yourself Safe from Scammers,” but they will also have dinners served at each class, with attendees receiving smartphones with data plans to help with the lessons. In a statement, Jay’s mom, Gloria Carter, said:
“The Shawn Carter Foundation has always been about providing educational access and opening doors of opportunity to underserved communities. No one should be left out or behind. We truly appreciate the partnership with Block and Jack Dorsey to bring financial, specifically bitcoin education to the Marcy residents, where I spent many years raising my family. Everyone should be empowered to make informed financial decisions in order to take care of themselves and their families”