Economics as a Second Language (ESL): Creating Wealth - One Family Reunion at a Time (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781440191886)

The initial research for the book was accomplished as a result of a grant from the George Gund Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio, where I worked during my Master Degree Program as a Intern Program Offi cer in Economic Development under the tutelege of Mr. Dan Berry, the associate director of the Foundation. The funding allowed me to travel throughout the United States to conduct surveys of Family Reunions and to ascertain the spending power connected with the Family Reunion movement in America. The data collected formed the subject for my Thesis in the Mandel Center for non profi t management and subsequently formed the subject matter for this book.

Economics as a Second Language forms the basis upon which a new philosophy of wealth creation can be based. As we know all true wealth is intergenerational and the family reunion is the perfect format around which this concept can be established and implemented throughout primarily minority communities, whether they be African American, Hispanic American or Asian American.

One of my mothers favorite statements, which you will fi nd in the book is "Do you think that money grows on Trees" and indeed it does, it grows on family trees. This concept owes its inception to Juan Barrientes and Dora Castro, who became my mentors during my employment at their community service organization in San Jose, California. Casa Raza, which was formed in the barrio of San Jose to funnel community development block grant funds into the neighborhood for community economic development. One night while sitting around the kitchen table at their home with the grandmother making tamales and during a disscussion of wealth and economic development it was determined that the only real second language is economics and thus was born (ESL) Economics as a Second Language.

This has become the driving force in my life and I have traveled extensively throughout the world, in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia in pursuit of this concept and I now offer the fruits of that travel to the world. I now make my home base in Los Angeles, California with offi ces in Windhoek, Namibia, where I currently operate a diamond mine on the border of South Africa and Namibia along the Orange River. The profi ts from which are being used to purchase property in Africa, the Caribbean and in America upon which Family Reunion Resorts can be constructed with the sole purpose of teaching families during their reunions how to establish wealth as the focal point around which thesse reunion are held.

I want to thank my wife Clara and my two children Mori and Ghenea for giving me the inspiration and the determination to complete this book and to expose Economics as a second Language to the world.