Ujima Wednesdays in March: Mythbusting

As we move from processing and transforming trauma into truth-seeking, we must reckon with the lies, myths, and un-realities that structure what we think we know about finance—and how what we think we know can lead us astray, even compounding or compacting harm and extraction. 

Inspired by Dr. Jared Ball’s The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power, we’ll learn how to face and unpack narratives that serve to conscript and constrict our communities, and figure out how to lead ourselves towards wealth-building strategies that center our agency and power. 

Through a two-part workshop series led by Dr. Jared Ball and a collective Talk Back space, join us this march as we will move from myth toward financial agency.

3.4: Black Buying Power: Myth or Fact? (Part I) | RSVP

The first workshop of a two-part series led by Dr. Jared Ball, author of The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power, introduces us to the monthly theme Mythbusting, by centering our communities’ economic realities that have shaped popular messaging about financial literacy in Black America. What are these myths, and why do they persist? Together we will examine how these narratives are constructed, sustained and circulated. 

3.11: Talk Back: From Mythbusting to Worldbuilding | RSVP

In this new addition to Ujima Wednesdays, we will be reflecting on the workshops we’ve had so far in this Together: Organizing for Financial Governance series. Facilitated by last month’s guest speaker, Vashti DuBois from The Colored Girls Museum, and Donna Bivens, this session will guide us in digging deeper into our personal relationships to finance and the myths we’ve learned. 

Bring your questions and reflections for a guided conversation that explores what strategies we can engage in collectively to myth bust and invite new possibilities.  

Join the first workshop to get a more full experience or watch the recap video on our Youtube page after March 4. 

3.18: Black Buying Power: From Myth to Financial Agency (Part II) | RSVP

The second workshop of a two-part series, led by Dr. Jared Ball, invites us back to think critically about deconstructing the myths of our economic realities and build towards strategies that center our agency and power.

After March 4, watch the recording, Black Buying Power: Myth or Fact? Part I, on Youtube here.

Facilitator Bio:

Jared A. Ball

Vashti Dubois

Jared A. Ball is a Professor of Communication and Africana Studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. and author of The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power (Palgrave, 2020 / 2nd Edition, 2023). Ball is also host of the podcast “iMiXWHATiLiKE!”, he can be found @imixwhatilike on most social media, and his decades of emancipatory journalism, media, writing, and political work can be found at imixwhatilike.org.

Vashti Dubois is the founder and Executive Director of The Colored Girls Museum (TCGM) in Philadelphia, PA. With over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she is a social practice artist, creative scholar, and institution builder. TCGM is a grassroots, “place-based” memoir museum that honors the experiences of ordinary women and girls from the African Diaspora. It is the first museum of its kind, distinguished by its focus on the stories of these women and girls, its unique approach to community-curated storytelling, and its concept of treating “the museum” as both a character and a theatrical event.

The museum features art and artifacts that focus on the lives of ordinary Black women and girls, emphasizing key aspects of their stories and personal histories. The Colored Girls Museum serves as a sanctuary, research facility, exhibition space, gathering place, and think tank. It acts as a community anchor, fostering dynamic partnerships and collaborations at both local and national levels. In October 2025, The Colored Girls Museum launched the TCGM Mobile Museum. With this initiative, TCGM aims to create a national network of artists, museums, institutions, and communities that will provide safe spaces for Black girls to live, learn, and thrive. In 2026, TCGM was nominated as one of the 10 Best in USA Today's Readers' Choice. The Colored Girls Museum has also been featured in several publications, including the "Black Futures Anthology," edited by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham, and "Black Women's Art Ecosystems," by Tanisha M. Jackson.

In recognition of her contributions, Vashti was honored as a 2022 inductee into the Germantown Hall of Fame and served as a Fellow at the Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts during the same year. Additionally, she was named a Philadelphia Cultural Treasures Fellow in 2023. A graduate of Wesleyan University, Dubois is currently writing a book about the creation of The Colored Girls Museum.

Vashti is a proud parent of three adult children and three grandchildren, all of whom live in Philadelphia.