Wealth of Community: Why Connection is the Key to Breaking Cycles of Oppression
When we hear the word prosperity, many people immediately think of financial wealth. But true prosperity is more than just money—it’s about influence, impact, and the ability to create opportunities for others.
Communities that thrive don’t just have economic resources; they have social, spiritual, and cultural capital that contribute to lasting, generational wealth. These forms of capital are the great equalizers, yet historically, systems of oppression have worked tirelessly to keep certain groups—especially Black, brown, and disabled communities—from fully accessing them.
As a special needs parent and an entrepreneur working with small businesses and non-profits, I’ve seen firsthand how isolation is used as a tool to maintain inequality. And one of my greatest fears? That my daughter, a non-speaking child with autism, will be isolated and marginalized, kept from the opportunities that should be available to all children.
This is why we must expand our spheres of influence, cultivate strong communities, and reclaim prosperity on our own terms.
The Hidden Types of Wealth: Beyond Money
If prosperity is about influence and impact, then wealth isn’t just financial—it’s the resources we create and share as a community. Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist, developed theories of social and cultural capital to explain how social class and power are maintained in society. Bourdieu's theories are based on the idea that different types of capital are unequally distributed among people, which can lead to inequality in life outcomes. Some of the most powerful forms of wealth that determine long-term success are:
1. Social Capital (Who You Know & Who Knows You)
Your network, relationships, and community connections are forms of currency. The more people you know, the more access you have—to opportunities, knowledge, and resources that can uplift entire communities.
But oppressive systems understand the power of connection, which is why they use tactics like redlining, school segregation, and economic barriers to keep certain groups from building social capital. By keeping communities fragmented, they ensure that opportunities stay out of reach for many.
The Solution? Build strong, supportive networks. Support local businesses. Mentor others. Collaborate instead of competing. Our greatest strength is in the relationships we cultivate.
2. Spiritual Capital (Your Faith, Values, & Divine Alignment)
Faith isn’t just personal—it’s a force that fuels perseverance, purpose, and collective action. Spiritual capital is the wisdom, resilience, and trust in a higher purpose that helps individuals and communities push forward despite adversity.
Oppressive systems attempt to diminish spiritual capital by promoting fear, hopelessness, and division. When people feel powerless, they become disconnected from their faith, their purpose, and their ability to create change.
The Solution? Strengthen your faith and align your actions with your purpose. Find strength in scripture, prayer, and community worship. A spiritually grounded entrepreneur or leader operates from a place of divine confidence, not scarcity or fear.
3. Cultural Capital (Your Identity, Knowledge & Traditions)
Cultural capital is the history, skills, and shared knowledge that communities pass down through generations. It’s the way we create businesses, tell stories, build resilience, and navigate systems that weren’t built for us.
However, oppressive forces erase, devalue, or commercialize cultural capital—repackaging it in ways that don’t benefit the communities from which it originates. We see this in everything from gentrification to the erasure of non-dominant languages and traditions.
The Solution? Invest in education, cultural preservation, and storytelling. Teach the next generation about where they come from and what they’re capable of. Honor the skills, traditions, and practices that have sustained your ancestors.
The Big Lie: Why Oppression Thrives on Isolation
Oppressive systems know that influence and community are the true pathways to prosperity—which is why they work so hard to isolate and alienate people from those resources.
Think about how this plays out in different areas:
In Education: Children with disabilities, like my daughter, are often segregated instead of integrated into general education. By isolating non-speaking children, schools deny them the social capital and opportunities that other students take for granted.
In Business: Many entrepreneurs struggle not because they lack talent, but because they lack access to networks that could open doors to funding, mentorship, and strategic partnerships.
In Faith: Fear-based narratives convince people to isolate themselves instead of leaning into spiritual community and shared wisdom.
The greatest trick of oppression is convincing people that they must struggle alone. But we were never meant to do this alone.
For Parents: Advocate for inclusion, push for better policies, and connect with other families who are fighting similar battles. Isolation keeps children invisible; community makes them unstoppable. As a non-speaker, when my daughter asked her school to learn “what the regular kids” were learning, they ignored her and was hell-bent on keeping her from pursuing a high school diploma. But we haven’t taken no for an answer and are still fighting to ensure that she can pursue the goals and dreams she has for herself and not what they system wants to give her.
For Entrepreneurs: Build partnerships, support Black-owned and faith-based businesses, and share knowledge freely. The fastest way to grow is to uplift others alongside you. My career has been built on sharing knowledge—often for free. But the value in the relationships that I have built have last well beyond the dollars that have been spent.
For Communities: Prioritize collective wealth over individual success. Whether it’s sharing job opportunities, mentorship, or simply encouraging one another, prosperity thrives in unity. In his book Success Runs in Our Race, the author George Fraser and the founder of the largest black networking directory in the country during the 1990s, says that Black people have been convinced that “black excellence” means personal achievement. But real excellence is going back into your community and sharing your resources so that everyone
Final Thoughts: Prosperity is Influence, and Influence is Community
If we want true prosperity—measured in impact, influence, and generational wealth— we must recognize that no one succeeds alone.
Expand your network. Who in your circle can you uplift or collaborate with?
Invest in social, spiritual, and cultural capital. These are the real keys to long-term wealth.
Advocate for inclusion and accessibility. Whether in schools, workplaces, or industries, fight against isolation
The greatest trick of oppression is to make us believe we are powerless. But when we cultivate influence, uplift one another, and stand firm in our faith—we reclaim our prosperity. Be Blessed.
