Wealthy and White: Why Guys Like Me Have to Show Up, Step Up, and Give Others a Hand Up

by Ed Mitzen

Overview

America operates on an unspoken caste system. 

If you're not convinced of that fact, just watch the news on any given day. There's no question about it-white people have a clear advantage.

Ed Mitzen knows-as a successful white man, he benefited enormously from America's historical status quo. Now, he's determined to break it down and lift others up. 

Forthright and compelling, Wealthy and White invites you to join Mitzen on his epic quest to change America from the inside out.

If your personal success has benefited in any way from America's systemic racism, don't feel guilty. Do something. Wealthy and White is a clarion call to action-to use your knowledge, influence, wealth, and winning entrepreneurial spirit to solve our chronic societal problems.

In the spirit of Andrew Carnegie, discover how you can use your skills and business acumen to reap the rich emotional rewards of helping others thrive. Discover the joys of giving back while building a legacy that inspires!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781544540986
Publisher:	Ed Mitzen
Publication date:	05/30/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	150
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Ed Mitzen is a philanthropist, executive, author, and entrepreneur whose businesses have garnered more than $1 billion. He is the founder and CEO of Fingerpaint Group, a noted Inc. 5000 fastest growing private company for ten years running. A believer in intentional philanthropy, Mitzen also co-founded the award-winning nonprofit Business for Good with his wife, Lisa. He makes significant contributions to organizations focused on creating positive change. Personal passions include improving equity, building stronger communities, preserving arts and culture, providing emergency services, and fighting homelessness and food insecurity both locally and abroad. He lives in Sarasota Springs, New York.

Editorial Reviews

"We the Tulsa Race Massacre survivors are so lucky that God shined down on us through your kindness and generosity. May God continue to bless you, your family, and your great team."

- Mr. Hughes Van Ellis, 102-year-old survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre

From the Publisher

2023-08-22
Mitzen discusses the implications of racial privilege and the importance of giving back in this nonfiction work.

With more than $250 million in annual revenue, The Fingerpaint Group, a marketing firm founded by the author, made him and his wife, Lisa, “wealthier than we ever dreamed.” Indeed, when he sold the company in his early 50s, he declared that they would “never have to work again.” Inspired by the example of Andrew Carnegie, who invested vast sums of his wealth into communities across the nation in the early 20th century, the Mitzens soon thereafter founded the nonprofit Business for Good (BFG) to use their “business-building skills to help others.” This book, the author’s second work centered on the intersection of business and charity, is written “for wealthy white people” and includes anecdotes from BFG as a guide for other would-be philanthropists. Openly admitting that he and his wife “had no idea” what they were getting into, a central theme of the book is the author’s coming to terms with his own racial privilege. While careful not to “shame or guilt” successful white readers (“You worked hard for your wealth; enjoy it”), Mitzen acknowledges that white men have “a leg up on everyone.” The same “laws and customs” that created an environment for white entrepreneurs to thrive, he notes, are part of the very same system that closes doors to others. With a keen sense of the history and legacy of racism in America, the book also contextualizes economic inequalities, describing, for example, how Black wealth in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was stolen in the 1921 massacre. Written in an authentic, conversational style that leans heavily into four-letter swear words, this is a solid introduction to systemic racism for skeptical, affluent white readers. The book provides ample examples (accompanied by photographs) of how BFG combined business acumen with solution–driven approaches that extended well beyond simply “writing checks to worthy nonprofits and watching passively.”

An engaging reexamination of 21st century philanthropy.

Kirkus Reviews