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Rachel Laryea, PhD., author of Black Capitalist, redefines capitalism as a tool. [1]
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Date: 2025-07-13
Rachel Laryea says anyone (race aside) or group can leverage capitalist systems for community welfare. Capitalism nurtures a scarcity mindset, but she believes in leaning into community instead.
Rachel Laryea, PhD., author of Black Capitalist.
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Summary
Dr. Rachel Laryea, in her interview and through her book “Black Capitalist,” challenges the traditional, extractive narrative of capitalism by positioning it as a tool that can be reimagined for communal benefit and social good. Drawing from her lived experience and rigorous research, she argues that Black participation in capitalism need not perpetuate harm but can instead foster equity, agency, and restorative economic practices.
Reframing Capitalism: Laryea redefines capitalism not as an inherently exploitative system, but as a set of tools that, when used with a communal and abundance mindset, can produce equitable outcomes and social good.
Laryea redefines capitalism not as an inherently exploitative system, but as a set of tools that, when used with a communal and abundance mindset, can produce equitable outcomes and social good. Lived Experience: Her journey—from growing up in a wealthy white suburb as a child of Ghanaian immigrants, to Wall Street, to academia—informs her nuanced understanding of Black wealth and agency within capitalist structures.
Her journey—from growing up in a wealthy white suburb as a child of Ghanaian immigrants, to Wall Street, to academia—informs her nuanced understanding of Black wealth and agency within capitalist structures. Black Capitalism as Agency: She distinguishes between simply participating in capitalism and intentionally identifying as a Black capitalist—someone who strategically uses economic tools for both personal advancement and community uplift.
She distinguishes between simply participating in capitalism and intentionally identifying as a Black capitalist—someone who strategically uses economic tools for both personal advancement and community uplift. Critique of Extractive Models: Laryea critiques modern gig economy platforms like Uber and Lyft for their extractive nature, advocating instead for models that prioritize ownership and equitable benefits for laborers.
Laryea critiques modern gig economy platforms like Uber and Lyft for their extractive nature, advocating instead for models that prioritize ownership and equitable benefits for laborers. Call to Action: She urges readers to recognize their daily economic choices as acts of agency, encouraging a shift in beliefs and behaviors that can reshape capitalism into a force for collective empowerment.
Laryea’s vision is unapologetically progressive: she sees the possibility for marginalized communities to reclaim and reshape capitalism, transforming it from a system of scarcity and extraction into one of abundance, equity, and social healing. Her work invites readers to move beyond critique and toward organized, unified action that redefines economic participation for the collective good.
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