It all started when the founder, Dr. Shelley Jones-Holt, made her way to take her eldest son to become a student at the illustrious Tuskegee University in the Spring of 2019. Visiting a city that struggles with a history of intentional damage caused by the US government-approved studies on unknowing African Americans helped to place the severely traumatic experiences that her own family experienced in schools into perspective. On that trip, she, her husband Arthur, and her son Jordan collaborated to purchase and renovate their first property together.  Over the following year, several trips were made between Michigan and Alabama to support one another, opening and running similar AirBnB businesses. 

 

The opportunity to learn, grow and collaborate with the specific purpose of building generational wealth became a focus for the trio to reconnect with one another and learn something that interested them all together. There was also a parental realization that although they had a student who graduated top of his class in high school and was on a full academic scholarship, he still had so much to learn about life. They were not going to let him do this alone. He did not necessarily know the economics or mechanics of home leadership, how to navigate his spiritual journey as a mechanism for personal growth, how to differentiate the business, peer, and other types of relationships and respond situationally appropriately, or how to take intelligent control of his finances. He still needed his parents, and they did not have an outlined plan on how to help him navigate this next step. So much emphasis was placed on getting to college, and very little thought about what was needed from any of them while he was in college.

 

As they created and implemented a plan together, they realized that if they had been more intentional earlier in life, many topics would have been much easier for everyone. They also learned that many of the skills he needed were taught in vocational education courses, which he didn’t have an opportunity to take alongside taking AP courses to prepare for college. This became the foundation for the Family Leadership development portion of the Career and Life Academy to support college-bound students with needed vocational and life skills. The work soon expanded to include vocationally minded youth who wanted the same support help in entrepreneurship, real estate development, and family leadership. Yet, their paths did not necessitate a 4-year degree.

 

Both the Michigan and Alabama properties were up and running, and the pilot property manager apprenticeships were very successful as the health pandemic quarantined everyone. These unique times forced those in the hospitality, travel, and consulting industries, among others, to rethink their approach to business. Expanding onsite apprenticeships to others was a must, and developing a client-centered mindset would be critical to everyone’s success. Jordan had to build an Alabama team quickly to head home; Arthur’s work as a community liaison pivoted online on a dime. Dr. Shelley decided to do cultural proficiency and equity consulting full-time. The racial uprisings opened the eyes of many to different experiences and the horrors of racism in America; in addition, the shifts would allow an unprecedented amount of time as a family. 

 

The idea of virtual equity leadership courses, interracial webinar discussions, and small intimate cultural proficiency retreats was born from recognizing a large significant gap in knowledge about United States history from non-dominant perspectives. As these conversations and learning began, there was much to be learned about the African American experience, various non-dominant cultures, impacts of systemic racism on all people, and few safe opportunities to learn how to take brave action against oppression once it became known.  This work soon brought adults together for the Southern Racial Empathy tours and youth to Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) tours, as many people were appreciative of the opportunity to learn, grow and make a difference, starting with themselves and their circle of influence. 

 

The more they worked with the youth and adults separately and reflected on their own experiences as a family, the more the needs became apparent. “We cannot teach our children what we do not know ourselves, but we can learn, grow and earn together.” They had to find a way to work with parents and children together as a family unit. It was decided that the best way to bring these opportunities to youth and families together would be to have a learning experience that allowed them to talk with one another openly. Learn together, create a plan, and move toward their individual and collective goals. This thinking led to the development of the 5 Pillars of Generational Family Leadership: Home, Personal, Relational, Financial, and Professional/Career Leadership skills that all children need, yet the schools are only responsible for the latter. There is a gap in the thinking and skill level of many people in effectively teaching the first four pillars, and it was evident in what was happening with the children being home. Family Legacy 5 was birthed from the desire to provide a space for families to learn, grow and earn together by creating their path to identify and overcome the generational trauma of systemic oppression, structural racism, and traditional definitions of what is “normal” or “successful” have done to harm people, organizations and families. 

 

Based on the 5 Pillars of Generational Family Leadership and the Tools for Cultural Proficiency, Family Legacy 5 helps families live and be deliberately culturally proficient. We do this by supporting families to create a plan for success by providing safe spaces to communicate and take brave actions to meet individual and collective definitions of success. We supply and nurture a community of people willing to be vulnerable to support each other and normalize what often feels abnormal or uncomfortable.

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We connect people with opportunities to gain experience and network with industry professionals vested in their success.

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We want everyone to experience the pride of ownership of property and businesses, but most of all, themselves, their time, and their future.

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We exemplify that we are truly stronger together!

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Your Vision, Your Leadership, Your Legacy, Our Support!