Bishop T.D. Jakes on investing in Black communities
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
It’s Easter Sunday, and for the people in the seats of the Dallas megachurch The Potter’s House, the message will surely be about salvation and resurrection. T.D. Jakes established The Potter’s House in 1996. Over the years, it’s become one of the country’s biggest churches and Jakes one of America’s most influential religious leaders.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
T D JAKES: I know you think you got saved at the altar, but the truth of the matter, you got saved when you started moving in His direction. I got up an hour early ’cause I’m after Him. I came to church because I’m after Him. My body told me to stay in bed, but I’m after Him. My flesh…
RASCOE: But as Jakes likes to say, don’t put a period where a comma should be. And so there’s T.D. Jakes, comma, entrepreneur. He has long been an author and done TV and movies. He won a gospel Grammy in 2003. The new push is in real estate. His company recently bought 95 acres in southwest Atlanta. And while this venture isn’t connected to The Potter’s House, he does see it as an extension of his faith.
JAKES: The problems in most major cities, as I talk to mayors, is that the people who serve the cities – police officers, nurses, janitors, what have you – cannot live in the cities – firemen – that they serve in. So this is a common problem, not just to Dallas and Atlanta. It’s not a unique problem. It’s a serious problem in a lot of areas.
RASCOE: And so – you know, you look at Redfin. There’s a house near the area that was, like, 44,000 in 1995 – 235,000 last year. So how will this development make sure that the prices of the houses are in a way that are affordable for those police officers and nurses and etc.?
JAKES: Well, we’re going to have a wide range. When you say mixed-income, that you want to cover the waterfront, there are going to be some low-tech, low-income housing developments. A certain quota of those homes are going to be more affordable than others. I’m a big fan of mixed-income housing because sociologically, when you build all low-income housing, we’ve already done that. We’ve seen that movie play out, and it didn’t have a happy ending.
MICHAEL PHILLIPS: Our mission is to do well by doing good.
RASCOE: Michael Phillips works alongside Bishop Jakes as chief operating officer.
PHILLIPS: Every facet of our business, whether we’re making movies, whether we are making music, whether we are doing an event or a venture, it’s all centered around doing well by doing good and the social impact it’s going to have as an outcome, as a metric of return for us.
RASCOE: So this idea has been around for a long time, and I know about T.D. Jakes – about the movies produced and things of that nature. I guess, is real estate – has that always been a part of this, or is that a new part of the venture?
PHILLIPS: No, real estate has always been a part of the enterprise. Our media company, Dexterity Media, where a lot of our movies come out, has always been a part of the enterprise. Our – Dexterity Sounds, our music division, has always been a part of the enterprise.
RASCOE: But that enterprise operates in the marketplace – capitalism, winners and losers. It can be a far cry from the pulpit of a church and the Bible’s lessons on charity and works of mercy.
PHILLIPS: You can’t be philanthropic without being entrepreneurial. If you’re going to help people, you’re going to have to be entrepreneurial to be able to have resources to be able to help people. The two go hand in hand.
RASCOE: American evangelism is littered with the names of high-profile leaders who fell short of their calling when they strayed too far into the secular world. In fact, Jakes bought the building that would become The Potter’s House from a televangelist who had been convicted of tax evasion. Bishop Jakes, though, says whatever he does is rooted to the same mission. Whether preaching to thousands from the altar, connecting through the pages of a book or the tracks of an album or making deals in the C-suite, he says he remains rooted in Jesus and in service to his community. And he acknowledges that what ministering looks like may shift in an increasingly changing world.
JAKES: I’m not hooked on a megachurch. I didn’t get saved in a megachurch. I didn’t start in a megachurch, and I’m not the face of the megachurch. I got saved in a storefront. So I love to do what I do, irrespective. There’s always going to be change. As long as there is society and cultural changes, there will be changes. But the church has always survived. He said, upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And at the time he said it, he was outside. There was no building at all, and the church has survived. It is a concept. It is a fellowship. It is a living, breathing entity for which Christ died. And it doesn’t matter the location, whether it’s in a house or a barn or a tent like we used to do, or megachurch or mini-church.
What many people do not understand about the, quote-unquote, “Black church” is that it is still the gateway to the Black community, that there is no entity that sees more Black people on a weekly basis than the church. It’s not that we all go to church, but we all know somebody in our family that goes to church. We can’t say that about anything else. The club doesn’t do it. Nothing else does it. The church does it. So if there are business people listening at me and they’re trying to find a way to reach underserved communities but they’re trying to avoid the church, I understand the business reason why you would. That’s why I set up the T.D. Jakes Foundation, where you don’t have to support my message, but you can help with my mission.
And so my mission is more than my message. And so I think churches have to be creative about their organizational construct to develop, like we did, a real estate ventures company, if that’s what you want to do, or maybe if you’re more into music, a record label. You have to reach the world. Jesus did it by boat. Jesus preached his sermons on a boat. Jesus preached in the desert, but that doesn’t mean I have to stay in the desert or live on a boat in order to be effective to my call.
RASCOE: That’s Bishop T.D. Jakes, who is also CEO and chairman of the T.D. Jakes Group. He’s also author of the forthcoming book “Disruptive Thinking.” Bishop, thank you so much for joining us.
JAKES: It’s been a real pleasure. Thank you.
ORLANDO, Fla., March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Leaders need disruptive thinking. With the ever changing culture and new challenges, leaders now more than ever need to rethink how they do things. T.D. Jakes’ International Leadership Summit, in Orlando from May 4-6, equips leaders, visionaries and entrepreneurs with the latest resources and expertise to help leaders navigate these volatile times.
Media registration is now open. Media may request credentials for the International Leadership Summit and Good Soil by filling out this form.
This is one of the most transformative leadership conferences for ecclesial learning and professional development.
The Internal Leadership Summit continues to be one of the most transformative leadership conferences as a standard-bearer for ecclesial learning and professional development. Previous speakers at the conference include Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry, Stedman Graham, Craig Groeschel, Cynthia Marshall and Miles McPherson. This year, Jakes is joined by Paul Adefarasin, Tudor Bismark, Nona Jones, Janice Byrant Howroyd and other leaders of business, entertainment, faith and other arenas.
Preceding the annual gathering, on May 3, as part of its 2023 national tour is Good Soil, a one-day intensive business accelerator program offered by TDJ Enterprises aimed to impact, scale and grow underrepresented businesses. More information can be found here.
WHO:
T.D. Jakes, CEO of the T.D. Jakes Group and senior pastor of The Potter’s House
Paul Adefarasin, senior pastor of House On The Rock
Nona Jones, chief content and partnership officer at YouVersion
Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder and CEO of ActOne
E. Dewey Smith, senior pastor of The House of Hope Atlanta, The House of Hope Macon and The House of Hope WestPointe
Tudor Bismark, founder and overseer of Jabula New Life Ministries International
Dana Carson, senior pastor of Reflections of Christ’s Kingdom World Outreach International
Dr. Anita Phillips, trauma therapist and life coach
Hattie Hill, president and CEO of the T.D. Jakes Foundation
Bozoma Saint John, marketing executive, author and entrepreneur
Latasha Gillespie, executive head of Global DEIA for Amazon Studio, Prime Video and IMDb.
…and more leaders of business, faith and entertainment
WHERE:
Orange County Convention Center
9800 International Dr.
Orlando, FL 32819
WHEN:
May 4-6, 2023
Media Credentials:
All members of the media—reporters, photographers, videographers and crew—are required to have and display credentials in order to cover events within the conference. Press may request media credentials for the International Leadership Summit by filling out this form. Applicants will be notified via email whether they are approved or declined for credentials. Information regarding where to pick up credentials, parking, facility access, interviews and other details will be sent once credentials have been approved.
About the International Leadership Summit
Founded by T.D. Jakes—real estate mogul, New York Times bestselling author, pioneering CEO and entrepreneur, global humanitarian, devoted philanthropist, senior pastor of The Potter’s House—the International Leadership Summit is an annual transformative conference. Since 2011, the conference has cultivated aspiring and tenured entrepreneurs and leaders with the tools to become successful in for-profit and not-for-profit industries.
SOURCE International Leadership Summit
For over forty years, Bishop T.D. Jakes has established himself as a constant fixture in Christian broadcasting, viewed by millions of people. His rich baritone voice and charismatic delivery have labeled him a distinguished motivational speaker and preacher who delivers homilies on topics regarding hope, forgiveness, faith, prosperity, relationships, and other pertinent issues involving the human condition. He continues growing his faith-based businesses, educational resources, and entertainment platforms. According to his bio, Bishop Jakes founded The Potter’s House, “a non-denominational, multicultural church and global humanitarian organization, in Dallas, Texas,” which has grown to 30,000 members and initiated over 50 ministries to serve people from various socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, nationalities, and races—two of his outreaches, MegaCARE and the Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative (T.O.R.I) helps communities worldwide as well as, “provides dedicated support that helps former inmates acclimate back into society.”
Buying Back The Block
For his next venture, Bishop Jakes is focused on uplifting underserved communities and instituted steps to open the floodgates of economic empowerment, addressing food desert issues and poor access to financial and health opportunities through the T.D. Jakes Real Estate Ventures, LLC. Using his Metroplex Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit he founded “to bridge economic voids in urban America,” he acquired Capella Park, intending to create affordable housing for minority communities by implementing a mixed-use, mixed-income housing development on 400-plus acres.
“We started building houses on the land; we had to put in everything, infrastructure, road development, and lay out a plan for mixed-income facilities. [However] we didn’t get mixed-use in there, it’s all residential, except for a $15 million school that we built, that started as a private school, and now has become a charter school. We did that because education is important for the development of any healthy community, and we did it because we knew there would be young families coming in there who needed to drop their kids off at school. They could walk up the street and go to school; we have done that, and it has worked well. The community has been sustained; it looks brand new,” he tells Forbes.
Through his T.D. Jakes Real Ventures, he intends to break ground on a mixed-use and mixed-income housing development and facilities in Atlanta this spring to provide a pathway to homeownership for the underserved populations seeking affordable housing.
With his recent acquisition of 94.5 acres of land at Fort McPherson close to downtown Atlanta, Jakes plans to continue his community building by breaking ground this spring and providing a pathway to homeownership for underserved populations.
“Let’s digress for just a moment to the fact that Fort McPherson, I understand, was historically a Confederate army base recently used in the Gulf War,” he interjects during our conversation. “A historic site on which Tyler Perry put his studios and bought the biggest part of the land. The only remaining part of Fort McPherson was the 95 acres that wasn’t being used. Behind it, is an underserved community that has great potential that’s growing.” Jakes pondered when surveying the locale how he could link the community’s needs with the massive Tyler Perry Studios that would be conducive to the development of the community and upbuilding for the area.
“There were no grocery stores, restaurants, no quick access to drugstores, no access to cleaners and things we need to have [in] life. Tyler Perry had the ROFO (Right of First Offer) and we got together to talk about a way that I can have an opportunity to enhance the land by extending [to] me the ROFO,” he tells Forbes. “I said, ‘give me the ROFO, and if I can’t pull it off, I’ll give it back, and it’s an example of Black power brokers working together to solve Black problems on what was an army base; how cool is that?”
Jakes is in the early stages of setting the foundations for hotels, walking and biking trails, basketball courts, urgent care, senior living facilities, independent and assisted living, and memory care.
“What are we going to do? We’re living longer. Where can we go in our community since grandma can’t sit on the front porch anymore because everybody’s gone to work? What will we do with our aging populace?” he pensively queries. “For me, it’s about legacy, and it’s about stewardship, and leveraging relationships, Black and White, corporate and church, to bring us together into a concerted effort to solve problems. I will not wait to see who the next president, senator, or [mayor] is; we have been doing that for years. Regardless of who we put in, we’re not seeing the amount of change I would like to see.”
He resolved that the power to produce positive outcomes that he yearns to see will come from himself and others, “We are the people that we’re waiting for, we can grab hands and lift people [up] in meaningful ways.” Having authored over 4o books Jakes is writing a book titled “Disruptive Thinking” to motivate members of his community to embrace revolutionary thoughts and actions.
“If we always think as we’ve always thought we will always be where we’ve always been, it is important that we have this disruptive thinking that doesn’t just stand at the back door of the Master’s House, and say, ‘can I have the pot liquor off your greens?’ It may be time for us to unite in a concerted effort, lift ourselves up, stand as equals, and negotiate from a position of strength, not just philanthropy, because philanthropy wears out. Charity collapses, we can’t depend on the charitable emotions of other people to increase sustainability. A lot of people, Black and White, and Brown, are saying [they] want to be a part of this and I think that’s a great thing,” he says.
The feedback he has received from the residents of Atlanta is overwhelmingly positive. He attended countless meetings with the community to understand what they wanted and how Bishop Jakes and his team could help facilitate their goals.
“We did forums; we met with the LRA Board (The Land Reutilization Authority) repeatedly going through plans, drawings, and perspectives to see what was their dream for their community. I’m pleased to do that because too many times decisions are made about us without us and I didn’t want to make that mistake,” he cautiously spells out. “I live in Texas so I wanted to meet with them, hear what they had to say, and have my staff meet with them, and we’ve had multiple community meetings every step of the way.”
The massive undertaking will incorporate inclusive, sustainable environments across business sectors and ignite opportunities for the community, “We’re talking to Black-owned restaurateurs, grocery store owners, and one company we’re talking to is called Oasis. I admire the young man because he started closing food deserts near Black Wall Street.” Although not exclusively, Jakes also cultivated partnerships with Black-owned architects and developers and is laying the groundwork for green spaces, access to WiFi, education, and increased job creation. “Right adjacent to an entertainment center that includes entertainment, and education, one of the first prospective participants is a school. Microsoft is right down the street.”
Another aspect in Jakes’ socially conscious blueprint is edifying small businesses, essential operations that propel job growth. Based on the SBA, “small business [added] a net [of] 12.9 million new jobs in the last 25 years, which accounts for roughly 66% of all jobs created in that span. In the same period, large businesses only added a net 6.7 million jobs.”
“Small businesses are a part of our draw up for entrepreneurship, which I am a fanatic about, which employs most of the country in America, we have a template for that, as well as chain hotels, who will need staff [and are] creating jobs. Frankly, not just Atlanta but most metropolitan cities across the country are struggling for workforce housing so that the people who protect our cities, whether they’re policemen, firemen, nurses, can afford to live in the city they protect,” he says, adding. “Why can’t the police officer live in the city he protects and by the way that cuts down on police brutality, that creates ownership and recognizability, which is a deterrent by some of the headlines we have seen in recent years.”
Expanding Media Empire With Amazon
As a consummate disruptor and constantly evolving in the entertainment space on a broad scale, on December 1st, he is the first-ever faith leader to have his ministry available on Amazon Freevee‘s streaming platform and Prime Video. Formerly IMDb TV, Amazon Freevee, streams thousands of free premium movies and television shows, including Originals and FAST channels. The video-on-demand program, A Moment with T.D. Jakes will provide content to viewers surrounding Biblical teachings and messages, faith-building, emotional well-being, and guidance on leadership and business that will “restore your soul, strengthen your spirit, and help you find peace.” Initially, the multinational technology company approached Jakes and his team about the idea.
“I was surprised particularly, they wanted to start with 300 sermons, and we’re talking about doing interviews, film projects, short films, and docuseries. But right now, we’re starting with the ministry, the preaching part of it, and for Amazon, it’s a new initiative for them to go into the faith market, and I’m excited about it,” he says, letting out a hearty chuckle.
Through his already-established vehicles, Jakes reaches 30 million people a day. However, he believes that the streaming audience is a harvest field, and it is essential that his ministry is accessible to touch a wider audience, 186 million households. He wants to have his message continue to resonate with television watchers. But he is up-to-date on the fact there are over 350 channels on television, and many American households are cutting their cable service. Statista said cable subscribers decreased from 47% in 2019 to 42% in 2022. The competition for viewers is fierce, and he notes, “you have to scream loud to be a whisper in the noise of our society.
“More eyeballs are going towards streaming because scheduled television doesn’t always fit our lifestyle. I think [it’s] the wave of the future is the way of the present, to be honest, and television is struggling to hold onto eyeballs because our lives are so unpredictable,” he says. “It’s not only for faith but for entertainment and education, and we hope to expand it into an entire genre that exposes people to information that reflects our culture. [There’s] so much debate about what is taught in the classroom, we have to seek other means to bring awareness to people about our stories, background, struggle, and history, but the message needs to get out there. For me, that’s a very exciting thing. We’ve done a lot in film and other venues, but to be able to do it on a massive platform like Amazon is very exciting.”
Securing Record Label Roc Nation Distribution Deal
The move to partner with Jay Z’s Roc Nation with his Dexterity Music label illustrates what two Black-owned brands can do when they work together.
“We hit the top of the charts, number three in all genres, number one in the Christian genre, in about four days; it’s the [business] model that excites me and that we’re not always at the mercy of other people’s acceptance to determine whether we have a platform or not and we thereby support each other. It’s a win-win deal, and Roc Nation provided an opportunity to help and enhance our distribution; their methods are different, they’re contemporary, and they have a lot of experience in that regard,” he says. The distribution agreement also gives Jakes the latitude to have his projects obtainable throughout Africa.
Closing The Middle Passage With Technology
One of Jakes’ passions is quelling the diaspora wars between Africans and African-Americans. He holds the perspective to bridge the gap and that Africans and African-Americans are like siblings separated at birth whose DNA testifies to the fact of their relationship as opposed to opinions, philosophical ideologies, and economic and social statuses of either unit. He wants to use technology for both groups to discover and explore one another, hoping to reconcile the two.
“Anytime a family becomes dysfunctional, they start to turn their guns on each other, which is unnecessary. We can trade with each other. We can do business with each other. We can knock on each other’s doors in unprecedented ways. I do a lot of work in Africa. I’ve done a lot of business, philanthropic [and] ministry work over there to increase our dialogue between our ancestry and ourselves, add up to destroy myths, enhance identity, break the chain of the gate of no return, and make it possible for us to have at least some sense of [our] ancestry and history much like Jewish Americans. African-Americans suffer because when we have Black History Month, for example, all we talk about is where the boats landed. We didn’t start in chains and we don’t have to end up in chains,” he rationalizes. Jakes suspects that the lack of information about the true nature of African Americans’ identities aids in the criminality of their image.
“When you’re taught that your identity started in chains, chains are very familiar to you. When you teach that we built pyramids in Sudan, that we were responsible for the Byzantine Empire, that we had culture and heritage, long before many of the general populace did, that we had an era of pharaohs in Egypt that was all Black, these awarenesses help us much like the Black Cultural Center in Washington DC, to explore who we are as a people. Once you begin to understand who you are as a people, it helps you to have a better awareness of who you are as an individual, which is the ultimate goal, to take it out of the theoretical, philosophical, and historical and bring it down to the contemporary understanding of how you see yourself,” he includes.
As a venerated preacher, Jakes routinely espouses Christian principles that reflect the notion of “blessed are the peacemakers” and uses that creed to launch business leadership development opportunities with the National Bank of Kenya.
He has also consulted with other African nations such as Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa, where he continues to boost relationships to upbuild with the business and the faith community, “I’m starting to see a final breakthrough in this country, where corporations are losing their fear of working with people who have a brand like mine when they are focused on community development. If you have the right organizational construct, we have nonprofits, for-profits, and real estate firms, all the things necessary for people to line up with and who may not be interested in partnering with my message but may be interested in our shared mission.”
Jakes displays this mending of fences by adopting the Melchizedek Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, by bringing PCP supplies during the 2020 pandemic, MRIs, and ultrasounds that the staff could not afford. He also shepherded doctors to the region and hosted health fairs intending to make health care accessible.
“When I first came to Kenya, I didn’t come preaching. I came digging wells and boreholes in rural areas where indigenous people could not access water. The reason that’s important is in the indigenous regions, it’s the girl’s job to get water. So young girls weren’t going to school because they had to bring water to the family. That’s unfortunate because those young girls might be the next scientists; they might end up sitting on the Supreme Court over there in Kenya if they weren’t carrying water,” he informs that 15 years later, the has constructed housing communities. Relying on disruptive thought, Jakes believes in combining Christian spirituality with pragmatism, an attitude he sees more in upcoming generations.
“If all we do is shake fans, and clap our hands, and praise the Lord, and don’t change lives, then we have fallen short of what the church is meant to do, not only from the historical perspective of the Civil Rights movement but let’s go back to the days of Christ, who said if a man is cold, don’t give him a sermon, give him a coat. I’m talking about the practical life-changing gospel,” he says. “Christ came to bring good news to the poor; that’s not [only about] going to heaven. But how do I live while I wait?”
Closing The Digital Divide
McKinsey and Co. report that “economic inequity and the economics of broadband, [remain] an impediment to inclusive growth, particularly in Black American communities.”
The 65-year-old minister took into account the various Black economic summits and the advancement of technology regarding jobs long held by the middle class, like first responders, grocery store clerks, nurses, or even airport attendants; most of those positions are at risk of being replaced by A.I. (artificial intelligence). Jakes is terrified A.I. will decimate the middle class. If members of his community do not enhance their skill set, many will find themselves unemployed, which may lead to increased levels of crime, drugs, and violence.
Jakes is constantly creating solutions to problems using his faith and business acumen. He partnered through his foundation with the Dallas Mavericks and Goldman Sachs for the 2023 STEAM Academy hackathon camp in Dallas.
“We have been involved with STEAM for quite sometime before COVID. We had STEAM summer camps, and we started with 300 kids. Some parents even flew their kids in to join the camp. They built robots and dealt with technology,” he says. “We did it again and [took] it online, and we were hoping for 500 students, and we got 5000 responses from around the globe.”
Become a Vision Partner
Having so many facets of his ministry outreaches, businesses, products, projects, and the ongoing cultivation of his social initiatives, many people have expressed interest in working with Jakes because his mission aligns with their values. He directs interested parties to register on his websites and donate to his foundation. “TDJREV has opportunities. T.D. Jakes Enterprises focuses on entrepreneurship, how [to] educate, stimulate, and get resources to entrepreneurs in underserved areas. Black women have been going into business more readily than almost any other group. But their sustainability is not there because they don’t have access to capital to scale up. We’re trying to solve some of those problems, leveraging our influences, with financial institutions to create ways for sustainability for Black economic empowerment,” he points out.
This weekend, The Potter’s House will welcome as many people as it can for a type of gathering different from the typical Sunday service. On Feb. 26 between noon and 5 p.m. the church is asking for individuals to register as blood stem cell donors to help save the life of its chief operating officer, Frank Dyer.
Dyer, 57, who has been COO of the T.D. Jakes-led megachurch for four years, was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2022. The donor drive event is a partnership between the philanthropic arm of the Potter’s House, United MegaCares and DKMS, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting blood cancer and blood disorders.
The Potter’s House is one the largest churches in the U.S., with a reported congregation of more than 30,000. Jakes, bishop of the nondenominational church, has become one of the best-known religious figures in the country over the past couple of decades, authoring best-selling spiritual books and producing a string of well-received faith-based movies.
Finding a matching donor can be more difficult for some, depending on the patient’s race and ethnicity. In a press release for the event, it’s noted that “heritage matters when it comes to finding a matching donor. The donor pool is not diverse making it difficult for African American patients, like Frank, to find a donor. African Americans have just a 29% chance of finding a matching donor, compared to 79% for Caucasian patients.”
“70% of people suffering from blood-related illnesses must rely on donors outside of their families to save their life.” – DKMS
A match for Dyer is certainly a goal during this event, but matches for the thousands of other patients in the U.S. currently in need of blood stem cells are also being sought on Sunday. Donor drives such as this are important because, according to DKMS, “70% of people suffering from blood-related illnesses must rely on donors outside of their families to save their life.”
Prospective donors in good health between ages of 18 and 55 will be asked to review medical eligibility, fill out a registration form, swab the insides of their cheeks, then drop off their completed packet before leaving the drive.
It’s important to note here this is an effort to find a stem cell donor match and not to collect the blood stem cells on Sunday. It’s not the sort of traditional blood drive where a donor gives blood on the spot. Using DNA techniques, the cheek swab is the first step that helps the dedicated medical staff determine whether someone is a match for a given patient. An appointment to collect the blood stem cells will be arranged following this weekend’s event at The Potter’s House.
People that want to see if they’re a match for blood stem cell donation on Sunday should report to the church’s PLACE Ballroom.
The number of Black homeowners in America hovers at 45 percent, compared to 75 percent of white homeowners—a more than 25+ point gap that has persisted since 1960. Renowned minister and author Bishop T.D. Jakes wants to help close that gap. He launched a new initiative pooling together his wealth and resources to make the dream of homeownership a reality for more of us.
T.D. Jakes Real Estate Ventures, LLC. (TDJ REV) aims to make housing more attainable for the Black community. His interest in real estate came from watching his mother, Odith, invest in real estate in his home state of West Virginia. From that moment on, housing affordability and accessibility has been on his radar. Eventually, he said, his mother’s business ventures led to a street being named after her.
“This is organic to me. It’s a part of my DNA and it’s a part of things that I’ve always done. Beyond the communities that we built prior to TDJ REV, it gave me some experience and equity in understanding the crisis that we’re facing,” he said.
Increasing Accessibility
Access to affordable housing is a crisis in our communities. Rent has become unaffordable and, though the housing market has seen a significant decline, inflation has driven up mortgages, per Forbes. TDJ REV plans to build its own development for lease and sale, which will guarantee affordability to people who need housing and desire to own their own home.
The program will offer mixed income housing which Bishop Jakes has found produces the best results in community development. But community development extends well beyond the scope of just building houses and running credit. Jakes tells The Root the program has gathered retail constituents to help build grocery stores and hospitals and ensure that the community isn’t just existing, but living healthily.
“We wanted to create living spaces that included green spaces, biking trails, access to healthier foods and covenants in our properties that protected us from a loan sharks and things that have been as pervasive as cancers eating into the fabric of African American Community,” said Jakes.
The goal is to make the resources we’ve been separated from – due to redlining, segregation and gentrification – available at fingertip level, Jakes said. With the skyrocketing cost of living and stagnant minimum wage, TDJ REV aims to help people support their lifestyles and supply their basic needs.
Eliminating The Fear of Home Ownership
A stigma looms over the idea of homeownership for Black youth, especially given the financial burdens they face coming out of college and entering the workforce. It’s too expensive, seemingly unattainable or most often brings the question, “What am I going to do with a whole house?”
Bishop Jakes provided a simple suggestion: financial literacy.
“Financial education is helpful – it includes understanding the stock market, passive and aggressive streams of income but also understanding that homeownership is the beginning of building generational wealth. One of the things that young people don’t realize – There’s so many things you can do when you own that you can’t do when you rent.”’
Jakes offered the example of owning an Airbnb property to rent out, selling a house for equity or even investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) where you can allocate a percentage of your rent toward owning a building or facility. He said often government or corporate programs fail to reach our community with information on these opportunities. Now, he’s working to deliver the information himself.
“I’m really trying to leverage my entire platform to be a conduit so that we are knowledgeable about what’s out there and we are not afraid of what’s out there. Information moves away fear.”
TDJ REV understands that not all business owners have the financial statements to acquire credit. They also understand not all people in the workforce have a roof over their heads because of similar credit related obstacles. To meet people where they are, TDJ REV is creating a Community Development Financial Institution Fund called “Global Village” to offer resources to people who don’t have perfect credit and relieve Black people of the idea that you have to have perfect credit just to get started.
Breaking Ground
One of the most exciting parts of this program is the TDJ REV’s plans for construction. Bishop Jakes is eyeing to break ground in Atlanta later this year. Specifically, he’s looking to construct on 95 acres of land adjacent to Tyler Perry Studios. These buildings will include single family homes, townhouses and apartments. Jakes said he looks forward to using the development as a model that can be duplicated in other cities.
“We’re due those opportunities and we’re due those chances. We’re also acquiring some pre-existing Malta income facilities (no annual property tax) where it’s feasible to make sure there is a hand up for workforce and underemployed people to have access to adequate living – as well as people who are gainfully employed.”
Bishop Jakes refuses to limit his leadership of Black people within the walls of The Potter’s House Church. He sees a need to elevate people in all areas of life from education to business and uses the knowledge he’s attained to fight against the racial disparities that have set us up to fail.
“We might have a great church service, but we’re not having a great community and we’re not having a great life. Ultimately, my vision is to stand at the epicenter of ministry and marketplace in such a way that not only are we ministering to your spiritual needs but we’re also ministry to your natural needs by forming [partnerships] within marketplace for the upward mobility of people of color,” he said.
On Feb. 8, Benjamin Crump was honored by St. Thomas University in Florida with the Benjamin L. Crump College of Law — marking the first law school in the U.S. named after a practicing Black attorney — according to CBS News Miami.
Crump’s honor came equipped with huge support from several people in his circle.
Celebrating Ben Crump
TMZ reports that Will Smith, George Clinton, and Bishop T.D. Jakes all joined forces to raise $10 million for the new institution.
“Ben has been an absolutely spectacular friend and guide. And that’s why it is important for me to be here with him today. There are very, very few people in the world with a heart like this,” said Smith during the naming ceremony. “So it is my deepest honor and my deepest pleasure to be here to support and show some love and congratulations on this historic honor.”
During the celebratory event, Crump addressed the crowd with deep gratitude.
“I want you all to know that I feel like I’m the most blessed man on the face of the Earth today,” said Crump.
The Civil Rights Attorney’s Work
The renowned civil rights leader has been known for his recent work in representing the families of victims of police brutality, including George Floyd, Michael Brown, and more recently Tyre Nichols.
Additionally, Crump has continued to be an advocate for civil rights for Black people across the nation through continuously lending his support to families like those of the late Trayvon Martin, whose mother was in attendance at the ceremony.
“I just came to salute him,” said Sybrina Fulton, according to WSVN. “And let him know that I’m proud of him for the work that he not only did for the Trayvon Martin Foundation but that he did for so many other families.”
She added: “I’m very proud of him.”
As a follow up to T.D. Jakes’ seven deadly sins movie anthology, Lifetime is now gearing up to premiere the next title, Pride: A Seven Deadly Sins Story. Executive produced by Jakes, Derrick Williams and Shaun Robinson, the film stars Grammy-winner Stephanie Mills, Thomas “Nephew Tommy” Miles, and Keeya King.
According to the synopsis, the sin of pride is put on display in the story of “a famous bakery owner and reality TV star Birdie Moore (Mills) whose past secrets threaten the enormous success she has achieved.” When Birdie’s family secrets are exposed, her world starts to crumble — like the cookies found in her famous bakery.
It continues, “To salvage her legacy, Birdie must let go of the pride that estranged her from her daughter.”
Birdie’s pride also blinds her from her thieving son Gabe Moore (Miles) and her misguided granddaughter Ella Boudreaux (King), who is “just a lost twenty-something trying to build up her life after some missteps.”
Pride follows Jakes’ original movies Lust, Envy, Wrath and Greed which all premiered between 2021 and 2022. Stars who have taken on roles in those films include Keri Hilson, Tobias Truvillion, Tank, LisaRaye McCoy, Eric Benét, Michelle Williams, Tina Knowles, Romeo Miller, Serayah, Kandi Burruss, Da Brat, DC Young Fly, Clifton Powell and many others. Each title is based on books written by Christian fiction writer, Victoria Christopher Murray.
In 2021, Derrick Williams spoke on directing the movie anthology Envy.
“When looking at this, it’s a provocative subject matter that is happening everyday,” he said in a 2021 interview. “People are dealing with envy. We thought that this is a deadly sin that we could also help people with, because T.D. Jakes’ brand is also about helping people deal with everyday things and how these things could apply to your every day life.”
He added, “I think everyone can identify with having some envy in your life with some things you’re looking at, or that your envious of someone — but again, not knowing what’s on the other side of that, and only looking at it from one perspective.”
In addition to the aforementioned actors, Pride also features Grammy-Award winning Gospel singer Erica Campbell as Pastor Trey, Lucia Walters as Shanice, and Jaime M. Callica as Khalil.
Pride: A Seven Deadly Sins Story premieres on Saturday, April 8 at 8/7c on Lifetime.
Even though 38 percent of the population in the U.S. are eligible to donate blood, less than 10 percent do so each year. Moreover, these donors are disproportionately White. People of color have historically donated blood at lower levels. But a partnership between The Potter’s House Church, the American Red Cross, and United MegaCare is looking to change that.
A study from the National Institutes of Health found that among nearly 400,000 blood donations reported by donors aged 16-69 years old, 77 percent of the collections were from White people. Black people donated at a rate of 16.3 percent, Hispanic people at 2.3 percent, and Asians at 2.2 percent. The country is only 59 percent White.
Why is a diverse blood supply important? Because blood type is inherited, a patient that needs blood is more likely to find a blood match from their own ethnic group. Sickle cell patients are especially likely to benefit. In the United States, Sickle Cell patients are overwhelmingly Black and may need a transfusion of as many as 100 units of blood a year to prevent the disease’s symptoms, like anemia and organ damage. The disease impacts one in 365 Black Americans, according to the CDC. If more people of color donate, the patients’ chances of having enough blood for their transfusions increases.
In Dallas, the United MegaCare Sickle Cell Blood Drives began in May with the goal of educating the Black community about sickle cell disease.
“Partnering with United MegaCare and The Potter’s House helps educate Black communities about the need for blood and encourages them to become active blood donors. It also ensures that blood donation opportunities are reflective of the diverse communities the Red Cross serves and held at convenient locations that help bring donation opportunities closer to home,” said American Red Cross communications representative Doyle Rader.
There have been five drives in North Texas, including Dallas, Frisco, the Fort Worth Potter’s House, and the Dallas Potter’s House campus, incentivizing donors with Amazon gift cards. The partnership also offers courses on sickle cell disease to increase engagement and motivate the Black community to donate blood.
“Education for sickle cell is focused on the background of the disease, the populations it affects, how the sickle cell affects the body, why donors of African descent are needed, the impact it has on the individuals and families, treatment through blood transfusion and impact donors can have by donating blood, as well as, how organizations can help by encouraging the communities they serve to get involved,” Rader said.
Sickle cell disease is a red blood cell disorder where they have abnormal hemoglobins that cause the red blood cells to become sticky and hard, killing those cells creating a red cell deficit in the body, and even blocking blood flow leading to an array of other health problems such as strokes, infections, and brief episodes of pain.
The drives are hosted as welcoming events in a familiar venue to lower the stigma surrounding giving blood by gathering experts and people living with the disease so the community can see firsthand what their efforts are contributing.
“Again, education is the cornerstone,” Doyle said. “Simply put, the Black community has not been made aware of just how important their blood donation is to patients with sickle cell disease. The education component is coupled with an actual blood drive. Typically, the blood drive is in conjunction with some other event; for example, for our first blood drive on May 1, 2022, Lady Serita Jakes hosted a Coffee & Conversations virtual live event that featured a sickle cell warrior.”
Rader says the partnership has been a success, and the partners have plans to expand the locations it offers these blood drives and establish more community partnerships.
“Building effective partnerships with major community stakeholders helps to better address the health, emergency, and social needs of communities,” Rader said. “Through the American Red Cross/United MegaCare, Inc and The Potter’s House partnership, we aim to build healthier communities.”
DALLAS (KDAF) — We love shouting out organizations across North Texas when they help out the community.
T.D. Jakes Foundation is a team dedicated to building bridges to opportunities across the nation.
It recently partners with the Dallas Mavericks and Goldman Sachs to reward winners of the “Hack-A-Thon” S.T.E.A.M. camp. They also treated the winners to a night of food, drinks and box seats at a Dallas Mavericks home game.
“The Hack-A-Thon competition engaged students from DFW to around the world since it was also virtual and was a unique way to teach kids outside the classroom,” Hattie Hill, President and CEO of T.D. Jakes Foundation, said in a news release. “The looks on the winner’s faces was worth the work– for many of them it was their first time to attend an NBA game.”
The winners also got to meet Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and the first African American woman to lead an NBA Team.
“Goldman Sachs is thrilled to celebrate these students who worked so hard applying a software engineering mindset to design an app and program to support teenagers’ mental health,” Goldman Sachs Managing Director Ramanathan Narayanan said in a news release. “Seeing them cast a vision and implement what they learned from our engineers to impact their generation is very rewarding and exactly why we are committed to this partnership with the T.D. Jakes Foundation and Dallas Mavericks. We look forward to the 2023 STEAM Academy Hackathon and continuing to help foster the talent of the future.”
Learn more about the foundation by clicking here.
Bishop T.D. Jakes is leading a new effort to help the growing housing crisis in the nation. He joins Symone D. Sanders-Townsend to discuss his plans for more affordable housing, food security and building generational wealth in underserved communities.
