Financial Freedom for All

The venture capitalist and Queen Wa of Dawa Grand Bereby in Côte d'Ivoire Arian Simone (Fearless Freedom: A Manifesto for Unlocking Wealth and Equality for All) offers a road map for economic justice and empowerment through lessons learned from the Civil Rights and African independence movements of the 1960s. This session will discuss how everyone—whether you’re a business owner, a politician, an educator, or someone simply navigating their own path in life—has something to gain from creating a more inclusive world. 

Purchase your book from Charis Books & More. When you check-out from that link, please mention that you will need to pick your book up at the event. Books will also be for sale on-site by Charis, and a portion of your purchase will benefit the Decatur Book Festival.

This event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required, and seating is first come, first served. Signing information: Signing time: 5:15 PM

Signing location: Marriott Conference Center

About the Author

Cofounder/CEO of the Fearless Fund (the pioneering and embattled venture capital firm for women of color), Arian Simone is the author of the forthcoming Fearless Freedom: A Manifesto for Unlocking Wealth and Equality for All, an intimate step-by-step guide through the three pillars of fearlessness: honoring your roots, developing faith over fear, and building your vision from the top down—written in the dynamic voice that has made this world-renowned entrepreneur, philanthropist, bestselling author, and international speaker sought after by multibillion-dollar clients like Sony Pictures, Steve Madden, Amazon, and the nation of Côte d'Ivoire, where she is Queen of Dawa Grand Bereby. 

About the Moderators

Stacey Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, business owner and political leader whose innovative approach has continued to break barriers and support transformational progress. A prolific author, she has written award-winning political thrillers, children’s books, romantic suspense novels, and non-fiction books. She previously served as Minority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, and she was the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in United States history. Abrams has devoted her career to democracy protection, and voting rights, tackling policy issues and building a more equitable future. She is also a serial entrepreneur and business advisor. In 2020, Abrams founded Sage Works Productions, Inc., a media company dedicated to leveraging the power of storytelling to craft creative solutions and engage.

Danita V. Knight is President and Chief Executive Officer for YWCA Greater Atlanta.

Knight is a past Board member of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation (and the first Black Board Chair of that foundation). She was also Chairperson of several of the Women’s Foundation’s “Numbers Too Big to Ignore” fundraising luncheons. The 2011 luncheon raised $1 million - at that time, the largest amount raised in the organization’s history. Additional involvements include Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; the YWCA USA Board of Directors, YWCA USA CEO’s Advisory Council, Mayor Dickens’ Women of Atlanta Advisory Council, Leadership Atlanta, International Women’s Forum-Georgia, the Atlanta Civic Collaboratory, SouthState Bank Advisory Board and GEEARS/PAACT Advisory Board. Knight was part of the group of “seed funders” responsible for bringing the WNBA Dream to Atlanta.

Knight has also served as Vice President for public affairs and community relations at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), director of public relations at Anthem, Inc; director of communications for the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce; deputy director for communications and public affairs for the Council of State Governments; director of media and public relations for the United Way of Central Iowa; assistant, speech writer, scheduler, and public relations director to Iowa’s first female Lieutenant Governor (Jo Ann Zimmerman) and information specialist for the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women. Knight started her career as a student morning news anchor and reporter at KOMU-TV; and reporter at the affiliated radio station in Columbia, Missouri. Knight is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, former Atlanta Hawks General Manager Billy Knight. The Knights have two adult daughters: Erika and Olivia and “wonderful grandchildren.”