005: Raising The Bar For Black Financial Literacy with Derreck Johnson

Childhoods By Wonderschool

Having a strong support system during our formative years can be crucial to our successes later in life. Today’s guest, former mayoral candidate of Oakland, California and entrepreneur, Derreck Johnson, is a prime example of just how important support systems in early childhood can be.

A third generation resident of Oakland, Derreck began his life growing up in the projects. At an early age, he realized he had a gift for swimming—a talent that his emphatic, but protective, mother championed. Through her encouragement, Derreck was able to integrate into the city’s competitive swim community, taking part in social gatherings and activities that may have otherwise been out of reach. His mother fought vocally for equal opportunities for her son and ensured that he was treated to the same privileges as the other boys in the swim meets. From this rich childhood experience, Derreck grew to appreciate the importance of having someone in your corner to fight for your best interests. Since then, he has made it his mission to impart the same treatment to others in his adult life.

In our discussion, we talk about the journey that took Derreck from living in the projects of Oakland to running for the city’s mayor. He shares with us his hopes for Oakland and some of the changes that he believes would help the city to realize its full potential. Derrick also gives us some insight into his restaurant business, Home of Chicken and Waffles, which employs 70% incarcerated staff, and why giving back to his community is so important for him.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Derreck’s strong family support system helped him work to his potential early on
• What Derreck attributes his success to as an adult
• The challenges that Oakland faces and some of Derreck’s potential solutions to these issues
• How Derreck measures his own idea of success

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EPISODE CREDITS:

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