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Notes From The Field
February 2025
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Celebrating Black History Month: Addressing the Racial Wealth Gap and Building Generational Wealth
Every February, we celebrate the incredible achievements of Black Americans and the ways they have shaped our nation’s history. This month is all about recognizing the ways in which Black History is American History and how every citizen of this nation is made better by the contributions of great Black Americans. As we take time to celebrate, it is important to recognize the ways in which inequity still exists due to systems that have been in place since the founding of our country. Experts have been tracking and studying the racial and economic wealth gap that has existed for years. This is just one consequence of over a century of institutionalized racial inequality created by the government. Because of these discriminatory practices and lack of access to equitable pay and treatment, Black Americans have had a significant disadvantage in their ability to generate and accumulate wealth. These issues date all the way back to the emancipation from slavery. At the time, there were immediate barriers erected, including but not limited to: segregation in schools and housing, discrimination in the workforce, and market tactics known as “redlining,” which prevented minorities, including Black people, from receiving loans
for purchasing or improving homes. Even when they did receive a loan, their rates were often very high and subprime. Looking at this long history of inequality, it’s no surprise a financial gap was created. What is surprising and disappointing, however, is that it persists even after the passage of civil rights legislation in the 1960s. While there’s still a long way to go to legislatively close the gap, there have been some positive increases. Black Americans collectively have more wealth now than at any point in history, as they are increasingly doing the following at higher rates:
• Earning more money than their ancestors
• Contributing or saving for retirement
• Graduating from college
• Buying homes
With these needle-moving advancements, now is the time to lean in and not only keep building Black wealth but preserve it so it can be passed to the next generation. Passing wealth on is known as generational wealth. It starts with ensuring you protect your assets and have a plan to pass them on to your family while minimizing taxes and other government fees. These plans help protect the wealth Black families accumulate in their lifetimes so it passes on in the manner they want. This might be just the push children and grandchildren need to get a leg up in life, further level the playing field with their white peers, and protect the family from systemic issues in the law. Estate Planning is for all families, from every racial and economic background. Every family deserves to have peace of mind around their estate, knowing it will go to the ones they choose in the way they determine. Here at Field Law, we are committed to ensuring families from every background have access to high-quality estate planning.
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BRAIN GAMES
SOLUTION
Honoring Thurgood Marshall
In honor of Black History Month, I want to highlight one of my favorite Black American heroes, Thurgood Marshall. He was an incredible attorney who advocated for civil rights and worked to provide legal representation for Black Americans who had been systemically discriminated against. In 1967, he was appointed the first Black Supreme Court Justice.
In his time as a lawyer, he argued 32 cases before the Supreme Court, winning a total of 29 cases. It was his case, Brown v. Board of Education , that served as a landmark in our history and a cornerstone for the Civil Rights Movement
as it declared racial segregation in schools unconstitutional. He remains one of the most successful and renowned attorneys in U.S. history. His career progressed and he was eventually nominated and confirmed to the Supreme Court on Aug. 30, 1967. He served in this position for 24 years.
Born in Baltimore to William and Norma, a railroad porter and a teacher respectively, Thurgood was raised with a deep appreciation for the U.S. Constitution. At a young age, his father would take him and his brother to watch court cases to learn how to debate and think critically. They would then practice these skills around the dinner table when discussing current events. He attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and quickly became a star on his debate team.
If you are interested in learning more about Thurgood Marshall and his legacy, I recommend visiting the NAACP’s website. Additionally, a
2017 movie about his early years as a lawyer, “Marshall,” starring Chadwick Boseman, brings to light much of his character and passion. I want to leave you with one of his most famous quotes: “In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”
He later went on to be the chief counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.
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Weird Stories From World War II GHOSTS AND GOLD
TAKE A BREAK CHOCOLATE DREAM EQUALITY GROUNDHOG GRAMMY KING LINCOLN PIZZA ROSES SUPER BOWL VALENTINE WOMEN
World War II, the largest conflict in human history, saw millions of soldiers engaged in fierce battles across the globe, from the deserts of Tunisia and the muddy fields of Kursk to the streets of Singapore and the tropical atolls of the Marshall Islands. Some oddities go overlooked among the countless acts of heroism, savagery, desperation, stalemates, victories, and defeats. Bizarre events, characters, and plans that sound too outlandish to be true (but are!) prove reality is often stranger than fiction. The Ghost Army Deception is a prominent part of war, but the U.S. Army invented an entirely new way of misleading the enemy. The 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, nicknamed the “Ghost Army,” was a unit dedicated to creating a fake army capable of drawing enemy attention and resources away from the rest of the front. Deployed on Jan. 20, 1944, the Ghost Army comprised of around 1,000 men, including artists, fashion designers, and geniuses. The unit utilized inflatable tanks and vehicles, sent out phony commands over the radio, and even created a landfill big enough to convince any aerial reconnaissance that a much larger force was camped at their location. Operation Golden Eye Following the Spanish Civil War, a fascist regime sympathetic to Nazi Germany, led by Francisco Franco, assumed control of Spain. While Spain was neutral during the war — partly due to skillful diplomacy by the Allies — the British Army prepared for the worst. If Spain entered the war and Germany invaded British Gibraltar, they needed a plan to repel the invasion and defeat the Spanish and German armies. The British tasked Commander Ian Fleming of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve with this task. The plan was nicknamed Operation Golden Eye. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Ian Fleming went on to write a series of spy novels starring its titular character, James Bond.
GINGER-GLAZED MAHI MAHI Inspired by AllRecipes.com
Ingredients
• 3 tbsp honey • 3 tbsp soy sauce • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar • 2 tbsp olive oil • 2 tsp grated fresh ginger root • 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 (6-oz) mahi mahi fillets • Salt and pepper to taste • 2 tbsp vegetable oil • Cooked brown rice, for serving
Directions 1. In a shallow bowl, mix honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, ginger, and garlic. 2. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, then place them skin-side down in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 25 minutes. 3. Add vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish fillets and add to skillet, reserving marinade. Fry fish for 4–5 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm. 4. Pour the reserved marinade into the skillet. Simmer over medium heat until reduced to a glaze. Spoon glaze over fish and serve over brown rice.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Build and Preserve Generational Wealth
Honoring Thurgood Marshall
Ginger-Glazed Mahi Mahi
2 Bizarre Stories From World War II
Why Brando’s Housekeeper Sued His Estate
Brando’s Beneficiaries HOUSEKEEPER SUED ESTATE OVER BROKEN PROMISES
Who Were Brando’s Beneficiaries? The problems with settling Brando’s estate did not stem from a lack of preparation: He had a valid will they followed. Instead, those not included in his document created the issues. Marlon Brando was married three times and had 11 children and 30 grandchildren. However, he reportedly cut most of them out of his will, leaving the bulk of his estate to his producer and several associates. Housekeeper but No House In addition to his long list of progeny, Brando excluded his longtime (about 10 years) housekeeper and personal assistant, Angela Borlaza, from his will. According to Borlaza, her star employer had promised to leave her his home in Winnetka, California, after he died. However, despite Borlaza’s insistence that he made his promise verbally, no record of it existed anywhere
Marlon Brando, considered by many to be the greatest actor of the 20th century, appeared in timeless classics like “Apocalypse Now” (1979), where he played the villainous Colonel Kurtz, and “The Godfather” (1972), where he stole the screen as Don Vito Corleone, the soft-spoken and poignant mob boss. However, in stark contrast to his illustrious film career, after Brando’s passing in 2004, settling his estate — considered worth more than $25 million — was a disaster. Near the end of his life, Brando reportedly made amendments to his will that favored business over familial connections — with allegations from some of his primary beneficiaries that he was not in the right state of mind to make these changes. Needless to say, the contents of his will caused considerable controversy, infighting, and numerous lawsuits.
in his estate plan. Regardless, Borlaza sued Brando’s estate for $627,000, the estimated value of the home at the time, but ended up settling for $125,000.
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