A Picture of Generational Wealth

 

Whenever the word “wealth” is used, there is often an assumption that money is the topic at hand. The fact is, when it comes to generational wealth, knowledge and experience are forms of wealth as well.

The Photo Tells the Story

Sydney Kay received a prestigious residency in her field of photography. Now she needed to determine what it was she wanted to say through her work. She landed on the subject of generational work within communities for people of color. She chose to use different photo formats to represent the challenges of three generations. As she delved into her topic, she focused on her own family, particularly her great Aunt Trula who turned 100 in 2022.

My aunt Trula’s generation, the boomers and pre-boomers, were born before the civil rights movement, when people of color were barred from achieving education, jobs and dignity on the same level as their white counterparts. Still, they persisted against all odds to achieve something that on its face looked so simple but actually involved so much toil: a good life. Generational wealth isn’t always about capital—it’s knowledge, too. Experience.

All Around Us

Sydney and Trula’s stories are all about living the 100 Year Lifestyle. They are about family, legacy, persistence, creativity, relationships, and truth. Sydney’s account of her own experience behind the lens is eye-opening. You really need to read the whole story. Here’s why:

The obstacles of my generation are different than the ones before us and the solutions that previously worked might not work for us. We need to preserve and share the wealth of their knowledge, but also speak our own truth. Our methods of storytelling may have improved, but that doesn’t mean the problem is fixed. We still have to figure out how we change the world for the better for the next generation. The last 100 years are all around us, inside us, preparing us to one day reach a world where we can completely break our generational curses.