“I thought a lot about it from the perspective of being a person who walks around with brown skin, a woman, a mother, but also someone who runs a company. … My mother used to tell me, ‘Mellody, you could be or do anything.’ … There's going to be a struggle. It's going to be super hard. People aren't going to treat you fairly, but you can still be or do anything. I actually believed her.”

As president and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, Mellody Hobson is responsible for more than $10 billion in investor assets. Despite the pandemic, the economy, and the civil unrest, she remains optimistic that the America her 6-year-old daughter will inherit will be safer, more secure and more just.

“I would not want to live anywhere else. I love America, with all of our warts and all of our problems. I want to be very clear: I am a patriot and I'm so grateful. Warren Buffet says, if you're born in America, you won the birth lottery. I feel like I won the birth lottery over and over again.”