The Bitcoin Academy wasn\u2019t as well received as it should\u2019ve been. The organization needs good press and got it. The Business Insider article \u201c<\/span>How Jay-Z and Jack Dorsey\u2019s Bitcoin Academy provides financial inclusion and breaks down barriers of inequity<\/span><\/a>\u201d is positive and then some. Is it too cynical to be suspicious of a positive portrayal of a bitcoin institution in mainstream media? Maybe, but this is just too positive!<\/span><\/p>\n When <\/span>The Guardian went out of its way<\/span><\/a> to report that Marcy residents weren\u2019t exactly thrilled with The Bitcoin Academy, we asked:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy is The Guardian, a British newspaper, reporting on The Bitcoin Academy from the Marcy\u2019s projects grounds? Of course, it\u2019s worldwide news, but the accusatory tone of the article seems suspicious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n And well, this other article feels suspicious as well. Even if everything they say in it is real. <\/span><\/p>\n The article\u2019s protagonists are Marcy resident Mariela Regalado and Bitcoin Academy instructor Lamar Wilson, of Black Bitcoin Billionaire fame. To paint the clearest picture possible, we\u2019ll use their quotes verbatim.<\/span><\/p>\n When<\/span> Bitcoinist first discussed the project<\/span><\/a>, we informed:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the biggest barriers for people to learn about Bitcoin is access to the internet and devices. For that reason, participants will receive MiFi devices and a one-year limited data plan with smartphones \u201cif needed\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Participants will be able to keep the devices provided by the Bitcoin Academy. Those Marcy Houses residents looking to take part in the in-person classes will be served dinner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n What sounded like perks turned out to be key adoption factors. Mariela Regalado lives in Marcy, according to Business Insider \u201cshe said a main \u201cselling\u201d point was that the program offered free childcare for her young daughter, which allowed her the opportunity to participate as a single mother.\u201d The publication makes sure to mention that \u201cboth Wilson and Regalado made a point to stress that students in the program weren\u2019t pressured into buying or selling bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n They even go as far as to say, \u201cRegalado framed the program as \u201cpurely this fun, educational journey that I got to do with my neighbors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n To drive the people \u201cweren\u2019t pressured into buying or selling bitcoin\u201d point home, Bitcoin Academy instructor Lamar Wilson said:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBecause I understand the information and I can break it down into a vernacular that others can understand, especially folks from where I\u2019m from, I feel like it\u2019s almost my obligation to make sure I get the information to them, and it\u2019s not to like recommend them to buy bitcoin or try to get them to invest all their money or anything like that. It\u2019s just really, let me provide the information and allow you as a very intelligent being to make your own decisions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n To respond to <\/span>the initial backlash<\/span><\/a>, Business Insider got Mariela Regalado to do the dirty work:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s almost like everyone in the comments and that backlash, they were focused on the scarcity. Like, hey, thanks. We know what we\u2019re missing out on. We know what poverty\u2019s like, because we\u2019re in it. That doesn\u2019t mean that we have to stay in it, and it doesn\u2019t mean that we\u2019re not worthy of messages that have led to other people and other races getting ahead or getting wealthy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n As you can read, she did a phenomenal job. Regalado also painted a picture of the Bitcoin Academy scene that\u2019s a sight to behold:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe community aspect was really one of the most important factors for me, because we\u2019re talking teens, veterans, elders, millennials, and I cannot think of anything else thus far that would\u2019ve connected so many voices, so many intergenerational voices to sit and learn and share in community. And I honestly cannot think of spaces that we can do that in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The president and co-founder of The Shawn Carter Foundation, Ms. Gloria Carter AKA Jay-Z\u2019s mother, sent Business Insider a statement. The beginning successfully summarizes this whole article in a few sentences:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMarcy residents showed up. The over 350 people who attended The Bitcoin Academy classes let us know that this education is important to them \u2013 and that it matters. What also matters is providing the necessary resources such as dinner, childcare, devices, internet access, dedicated staff and instructors so that as many people as possible could participate in person and online.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n All in all, this is one of the most positive bitcoin-related articles mainstream media has ever published. It cleverly responded to all of the criticism talking points, one by one. Let\u2019s hope the trend continues and gets to a point in which it doesn\u2019t seem suspicious.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Welcome To The Bitcoin Academy<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Some Of The Classes Marcy Residents Took\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Quotes From The Bitcoin Academy<\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nBTC price chart for 09\/09\/2022 on FX | Source: BTC\/USD on TradingView.com<\/a><\/pre>\n
Closing Remarks By Ms. Gloria Carter<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Featured Image: Bitcoin Academy students, screenshot from the site<\/a> | Charts by TradingView<\/a><\/pre>\n
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