From the Streets to the C-Suites

John Hope Bryant looks for the rainbow that follows the storm

At the 2025 XCEL Summit for Men, honoree John Hope Bryant, founder, chairman, and CEO of Operation Hope, rallied the audience to draw lessons from the past, using Frederick Douglass, a businessman, abolitionist, and owner of prime real estate in Baltimore, as his example.

African Americans have contributed to the success of our country from the beginning. And as Douglass went from freedom to access, to opportunity, and to ownership, it’s part of a modern-day Reconstruction that today’s entrepreneur can learn from. And yet, success won’t come without its challenges. But remember, he tells attendees, as we approach the 10th anniversary of the XCEL Summit for Men, a “rainbow will always follow a storm.”