A recent tweet from former Twitter CEO and founder Jack Dorsey reads:
“Mr @Sc and I are funding The Bitcoin Academy, a program for residents of Marcy Houses in Brooklyn New York where Jay grew up, designed in collaboration with @Cryptoplug3 and @BLKBTCBillions.”
Here, @sc refers to Shawn Carter, also known as Jay-Z, @Cryptoplug3 refers to Crypto Blockchain Plug (Najah J. Roberts) and @BLKBTCBillions refers to Black Bitcoin Billionaire (Lamar Wilson).
On June 9th, 2022, Dorsey, now the CEO of financial technology company Block Inc., stated that he is teaming up with artist and hip-hop icon Jay-Z. The purpose of their collaboration is to create a Bitcoin Academy in the rapper’s childhood home of Brooklyn. The goal of the Bitcoin Academy is to empower and educate the people of the region on Bitcoin and other topics in order to improve their financial literacy. Residents of Marcy House in Brooklyn, New York, will be eligible for free courses and other privileges such as internet data subscriptions, according to the project’s website.
The Marcy Houses, often known as the Marcy Projects, is a public housing project in Brooklyn, New York. When Jay-Z was very young, he resided on Marcy Avenue and attended Eli Whitney High School. In his Twitter thread, Dorsey stated,
“Bitcoin is becoming a critical tool for many in Africa and Central and South America”. He added that “We believe the same potential exists within communities in the U.S. Our goal is to prove that making powerful tools more available to people enables them to build greater independence.” Dorsey then added:
“Education is where we start. This isn’t just about Bitcoin…it’s about long-term thinking, local economies, and self-confidence. Courses are free to all Marcy residents, including kids. And to make it even easier we’re providing devices and data plans for all who need it.”
“Education is power,” according to the Bitcoin Academy website, and lessons will be held online or in-person from June 22 through September 7. The website states, “All Marcy residents are welcome,” and that “In-person classes will be held two evenings a week, with dinner served.”
Residents of Marcy will be given access to MiFi devices, as well as a year’s worth of data, and will be able to keep the device. The Bitcoin Academy is also concentrating on youth education, with a “Crypto Kids Camp” for children ages 5 to 17 taking place on Saturday. Jay-Z’s non-profit the Shawn Carter Foundation has also contributed, according to the website.
Featured Image: Megapixl © AlexanderSikov
