BY: ZSHEKINAH COLLIER
Financial illiteracy is an issue that plagues our country but is often ignored . In school we learn to read, write and do math, but building credit is a topic that is often left out of the curriculum. Financial literacy is especially hard to find in low-income communities, meaning that people of color bear the brunt of wage inequality in this country.
D.C. native and Co-Founder of The Wealth Factory Angel Rich realized that people in her city needed financial literacy skills, propelling her to create the app, Credit Stacker.
The free application teaches students about personal finance, credit management and entrepreneurship in a fun and engaging way. In its first two weeks, Credit Stacker was downloaded more than 200,000 times. Now, available in four languages, the app has been downloaded nearly one million times in 40 countries around the world.
This is what made Forbes Magazine name the Hampton University alumna "The Next Steve Jobs."
In addition to Forbes, Rich and her app have received several awards, including the Best Financial Literacy Product in the Country by the Office of Michelle Obama, the Best Learning Game in the Country by the Department of Education, and the Best Solution in the World for Reducing Poverty by JPMorgan Chase.
Aside from running her five-year-old D.C.-based tech-education company, Rich is also an author. Last April, she published the "History Of The Black Dollar" where she examines the wealth and wage gap in America. The book begins with discussing slavery, eventually progressing to the discussion of the economic history of Black America. Rich also highlights the Civil Rights Movement, women's rights leaders and rising Black tech entrepreneurs.
Photo via Unsplash
Although Rich is successful, she admits to Forbes Magazine that being a Black woman in the tech field is a challenge. Forbes pointed out, the main difference between Angel Rich and Steve Jobs is trying to play on the same playing field.
Rich has not allowed these challenges to stop her. She continues to work hard and spread her #BlackGirlMagic by educating the Black community one app at at time.
