Operation HOPE and City of Memphis Bring Together 100 Influential Leaders to Chart Bold Economic Business Plan for America at Historic “Dream Forward” Summit

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Operation HOPE and The City of Memphis’s historic virtual town hall and working session on April 4, 2025, the 57^th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, brought together 100 of the nation’s most influential leaders from various sectors to chart a bold path for a new economic business plan aimed at advancing opportunity and prosperity for all Americans. Held at the National Civil Rights Museum at the former Lorraine Motel in Memphis, the convening - titled “Where Do We Go from Here? The Future of Inclusive Economics – and a Business Plan for America”- was broadcast globally, with over 7,000 participants and has been viewed by more than 25,000 people through streaming partners iHeart’s The Breakfast Club and Roland Martin.

The event, co-hosted by Operation HOPE Founder and CEO John Hope Bryant and Memphis Mayor Paul Young, also included special appearances by Dr. King’s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King, and his chief strategist Ambassador Andrew J. Young, who was present on the Lorraine Motel balcony when Dr. King was killed. Delegates from the worlds of business, finance, technology, policy, faith, civil society, entertainment and community development participated virtually, allowing for a dynamic and inclusive dialogue on economic empowerment, wealth creation and expanding opportunities for all Americans. This Dr. King-inspired working session on shared culture and vision was designed to shape a blueprint for inclusive economic growth in the United States.

To provide a framework for advancing the conversations, a series of business plans tailored toward specific populations, along with selected whitepapers submitted by the 100 Founding Delegates, were released to the public. These framework documents will be expanded and deepened by Emory University, Department of Economics, and the Clark Atlanta University School of Business. The business plans and whitepapers can be viewed HERE.

Featured speakers included:

• Sam Altman – Co-Founder, OpenAI
• Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) – U.S. Senator, Georgia
• Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) – U.S. Senator, South Carolina
• Doug McMillon – President & CEO, Walmart
• Bishop T.D. Jakes – CEO, TDJ Enterprises
• Alex Rodriguez – Chairman & CEO, A-Rod Corp
• Thasunda Brown Duckett – CEO, TIAA
• Harley Finkelstein – President, Shopify
• Mick Mulvaney – Former White House Chief of Staff
• Van Jones – Commentator & Founder, Dream Machine Innovation Labs
• Charlamagne tha God – Co-Host, The Breakfast Club
• Killer Mike - Grammy Award-Winning Rapper & Entrepreneur
• Ray McGuire – President, Lazard
• Janai Norman, Anchor, ABC News
• Frank Holland, Anchor, CNBC
• Brian Hooks – Chairman & CEO, Stand Together
• Strive Masiyiwa – Zimbabwean Businessman & Philanthropist
• Rodney Hood – Acting Comptroller of the Currency
• Joseph M. Otting – CEO, Flagstar Financial
• Stephen Steinour – CEO, Huntington Bank
• Jabari Young, Editor-In-Chief, ForbesBLK
• Dr. George T. French – President, Clark Atlanta University

Learn more at https://operationhope.org/dream-forward/.

About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to "silver rights" with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.