William Thomason is not an average guy. He is a published author and boss of bosses, running his own Financial firm in Oakland, Ca. He is also committed to teaching urban youth the value of understanding the world of high finance. Thomason runs the Oakland, Calif.-based firm, Taurum Capital Partners LLC. He is also the founder of the
Wall Street Wizards Urban Financial Literacy Program and the author of the book,
"Make Your Money Work for You - Instead of You Working for It: Lessons from a Portfolio Manager" (John Wiley & Sons, 2006).
"Just because you're not surrounded by certain things doesn't mean they're not out there," said 19-year-old Kevin James, who went through the program and is now a freshman at Morehouse College.
"Because of the Wizards, I was able to meet people and see things in the financial world that I normally wouldn't have otherwise. Most black and Hispanic kids, even if they're middle class, just don't have the kind of network or relationships that are connected to Wall Street," Mr. James told Investment News.
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Obama Books Round Up
Dreams of My Father (Nonfiction) by Barack Obama
Crown, $14.95
IIt all started here. Obama wrote this book before he took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 and delivered his now famous "Red State/Blue State" speech. And it was poignant then. After his speech, his publisher re-released it, and it became a No. 1 seller. It hit the best-seller's list again last year. This book gives tremendous insight into the background of Obama and the relationship he had with his father -- a man he met only once and was never there to raise him. In spite of that (or perhaps because of his father's lack of attention), young Obama rose above it and used the experience to propel him into the future.
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Obama Books Roundup
Dreams of My Father (Nonfiction) by Barack Obama
Crown, $14.95
IIt all started here. Obama wrote this book before he took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 and delivered his now famous "Red State/Blue State" speech. And it was poignant then. After his speech, his publisher re-released it, and it became a No. 1 seller. It hit the best-seller's list again last year. This book gives tremendous insight into the background of Obama and the relationship he had with his father -- a man he met only once and was never there to raise him. In spite of that (or perhaps because of his father's lack of attention), young Obama rose above it and used the experience to propel him into the future.
Obama Books Roundup
What Obama Means (Nonfiction) by Jabari Asim
William Morrow, $21.99
This is a history book, which chronicles how other figures, from athletes to civil rights leaders, have impacted this country and the world. And the author looks at what Obama's presidency will mean to history as well. This book officially hits shelves on Inauguration Day.
Obama Books Roundup
Fleeced (Nonfiction) by Dick Morris
HarperCollins Publishers, $26.95
This could be categorized as comedy, but the author is dead serious. It's a fun read and a very nasty take on what would happen if Obama were elected -- gloom, doom, end of the world and all of that. Well, we're still here. So far, so good.
Obama Books Roundup
Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama (Nonfiction) by Gwen Ifill
Doubleday, $24.95
She caught some flack after hosting the vice-presidential debate because of this book. But she carried out her duties as the pro that she is, and in this book (which she was working on before Obama won the nomination), Ifill delivers a balanced account of how the political landscape has changed because of Barack Obama.
Obama Books Roundup
The Audacity of Hope (Nonfiction) by Barack Obama
Three Rivers Press, $14.95
There are so many books on the market about Barack Obama. But this is the only one by the man himself that talks about his vision, his plan for America and why he decided to run for the highest office in the land.
Obama Books Roundup
The Case Against Barack Obama (Nonfiction) by David Freddoso
Regnery, $27.95
This author specializes in political books with a slant. And this one definitely has its perspective. It demonizes, discredits and downgrades Barack Obama. The tag of this book is: "The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate." I'm a big proponent of reading opposing views. This is as oppositional as they come.
Obama Books Roundup
Yes We Can (Nonfiction) by Scout Tufankjian
PowerHouse Books, $29.95
The only independent photographer to chronicle Barack Obama from before he announced his presidential run to the night he actually won, Tufankjian captures some of the most candid and moving images of Obama and his family. The pictures tell the story, but more through those who Obama touched during his campaign than the Obamas themselves. This is a true slice of Americana.
Obama Books Roundup
Yes We Can (Children's Nonfiction) by Garen Thomas
Feiwel & Friends, $6.99
This biography is the children's version of the rise of Barack Obama. Here is another best seller to add to your child's library. This is not a picture book; it's a real bio for children that is a mix of history, rich anecdotes and quotes from Obama, as well as political and newsworthy discussion points.
Obama Books Roundup
The American Journey of Barack Obama (Nonfiction/History), foreword by Edward M. Kennedy
Little, Brown, $24.99
For those collecting Obama memorabilia and slices of this historic time, this book should be a part of the package. Produced by the editors of Life magazine, which many of us remember as one of the best magazines to chronicle history and well, life. This book is wonderfully and beautifully done.
Obama Books Roundup
Barack (Children's Picture Book) by Jonah Winter (Ag Foster, illustrator)
Harper Collins, $17.99
This is an old-fashioned children's book chronicling the life of the next president of the United States. It's a 32-page picture book for ages 4-8 and a great way to give your child a slice of history.
Obama Books Roundup
Thomason's passion to expose black and hispanic youth to the world of finance is driven by his own experience.
"This is a world that I stumbled into," he said. "I didn't know it existed. The closest a lot of kids in the inner city get to a financial institution is a check-cashing store. That's not the way it should be.
"I want to expose them to Wall Street and a world they don't know exists. I like to say that in the 1960s, our challenge was to get our civil rights. Now our challenge is to get our economic rights."
Many of us in
the black community are unaware of the easiest ways to make a lot of money. We work hard, and break our backs for decades to earn a paycheck without realizing that by properly saving, investing and learning the basics of financial literacy, we can get to the point where our money works for us. In fact, money is not meant to simply be spent as soon as you earn it. That's like eating an apple seed instead of planting a tree.
While we are quick to marvel at the massive salaries of NBA athletes, the truth is that the real money is being earned elsewhere. Hedge fund manager David Tepper, for example, earned a whopping $4 billion dollars in 2009. To get it some perspective, that's about 15 times the salary of Oprah Winfrey and about 150 times what LeBron James earns in a year. By bringing black and hispanic youth into the world of Wall Street finance, he is opening the door to real wealth building that can sustain a community in a capitalist society.
I applaud the work being done by Thomason and the
Wall Street Wizards program. We need to teach our kids to work smart. To join the program or volunteer,
you can visit this link.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, "Black American Money." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
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By: concord on 4/09/2010 10:44PM
Pres. OBama in his trying to cripple the rich, He as almost killed the middle class black. Maybe these young men will get a change to move forward by the year 2015, if there are jobs to be had. I was to retire but now will be working five more years or more, to reclaim what I lost. But I can get a free bandaid in 2014.
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