On this episode of Tracey’s Keepin’ It Real, MSR Publisher and CEO Tracey Williams-Dillard sits down with Debra Hurston, executive director of the Association for Black Economic Power, and Aquilla Robinson, program strategist for ABEP’s Financial Empowerment Center. The conversation covers what it really takes to build financial literacy, economic ownership, and generational wealth in Black communities across the Twin Cities.
How ABEP Got Started
ABEP was founded in 2017 by a group of Minneapolis community leaders with a clear vision: create a financial institution where Black people feel welcome, and build an empowerment center where they can learn to make money work for them. Hurston joined the organization in December 2020, stepping in during one of the most turbulent periods in the city’s history, charged with keeping that original mission moving forward.
What the Financial Empowerment Center Offers
At the center of ABEP’s programming is the Financial Empowerment Center, which houses two core offerings. The first is Beyond Table Talk, a live broadcast that streams every fourth Wednesday on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Topics range from homeownership and tax preparation to protecting elders from financial scams and building income through side hustles. The format is intentionally flexible, allowing the team to respond to what the community is actually dealing with in real time.
The second is Smart Money Moves, ABEP’s flagship financial literacy curriculum. Built around 10-plus chapters, the program can be customized for organizations, cohorts, or individual clients. Topics include how to read a paycheck, build a relationship with a bank, set long-term financial goals, and navigate major purchases like a home or a car. The curriculum was designed before the state developed its own financial literacy guidelines and, as Hurston noted, met them anyway.
Meeting People Where They Are
What sets Smart Money Moves apart, according to participants, is the environment. One attendee described the experience as “disarming,” saying he was able to ask questions without feeling judged or talked down to. That tone is by design. ABEP’s presenters are financial experts drawn from banks, investment firms, and accounting backgrounds, and they are trained to meet people where they are, not where the industry assumes they should be.
Organizations that bring ABEP in for group programming can also unlock up to six free one-on-one coaching sessions for their staff or constituents. Those sessions are scheduled separately, tailored to the individual, and designed to go deeper on whatever that person specifically needs, whether that’s building a first budget or understanding compound interest.
A New Partnership With the MSR
The episode also previews an exciting partnership between ABEP and the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. The two organizations are collaborating on a Youth Financial Education Series designed to walk young Twin Cities readers through the fundamentals of financial literacy, starting with the basics and building toward long-term wealth planning. The series is built around the idea that reaching young people early creates a ripple effect, giving them tools they can use and pass back to family members who never had access to them.
Mark Your Calendar
ABEP is also hosting its first-ever fundraiser on May 21 at Top Golf in Brooklyn Center, from 4 to 8 p.m. All proceeds support the Financial Empowerment Center. No golf experience required.
To learn more, visit abepmpls.org or call Debra Hurston directly at 651-278-1926.
