Born in Grenada and raised in Brooklyn. My conversation with Gregg Bishop, Executive Director of the Social Justice Fund.

Gregg Bishop is currently the Executive Director of the Social Justice Fund, an initiative funded by The Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation. The Social Justice Fund centers its work around racial justice and economic mobility. Bishop has over 13 years of government experience, serving under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio. From 2015-2020, he served as the Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), where he was charged with running a dynamic City agency focused on equity of opportunity, leading to economic self-sufficiency and mobility for New York City diverse communities.  During his tenure, he connected small businesses to over $200 million in capital, certified a record 9,000 Minority and Women business enterprises, connected over 100,000 New Yorkers to good-paying jobs, and invested over $10 million in capacity-building programs across the five boroughs. In addition, over 10,000 city residents were trained with new skills in the technology, healthcare, industrial and manufacturing, and hospitality sectors. He also developed and launched several initiatives aimed at structural barriers minorities face, including Black Entrepreneurs NYC (BE NYC) and Women Entrepreneurs NYC (WE NYC).  Born in Grenada and raised in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, Bishop received a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing and Management Communication from Florida State University and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Business Administration from Florida A&M University. 

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A LONG WAY FROM THE BLOCK PODCAST

This show gives me the opportunity to share with listeners one of my greatest interests, which is people and the great stories of their lives. Growing up in San Diego I came across all types of folks who had some type of influence over me. As I became older and stretched to see outside my city limits either through conversation, books, music or traveling, I gained a different perspective on the importance of culture, art, wisdom and what it means to be "educated." I have had the the good fortune to come across amazing artists from various walks of life such as painters, poets, writers, chefs, and more. You might hear a few more stories about jazz musicians, athletes, coaches and martial artists as those areas are near and dear to me. What I hope to achieve through this podcasts is to preserve the valuable information of those who have paved the way for me. The show focuses on their foundations, what was their childhood and family life like? What were the lines they knew not to cross? What were the unexpected lessons that they took with them? Through a conversational dialogue, listeners hear where they came from, who their early influences were and the tools and skills they developed along the way. I hope people enjoy these stories as much as I have.

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