The title of Thomas Wolfe’s 1940 novel You Can’t Go Home Again has existed in the vernacular for decades now, reflecting the fleeting nature of nostalgia and the impossibility of revisiting the past, whether literally or figuratively. In 2022, Jay-Z and Jack Dorsey have offered a corollary to Wolfe’s argument. If the duo’s new venture is any suggestion, maybe you can go home again. You just have to want to learn about cryptocurrency.
As The Verge reports, the duo just opened The Bitcoin Academy. The academy’s website describes it as “a program for residents of Marcy Houses, in Brooklyn, New York,” and notes that the organization has plans to expand to other neighborhoods as well.
It goes on to make the case for its existence, stating that it seeks to address issues of race and class in the technological sphere. “This program aims to provide education, empower the community with knowledge, and get rid of some of the barriers so that residents can learn more about Bitcoin specifically and finance in general,” one message reads.
As The Verge’s James Vincent notes in the article, this announcement has not lacked for controversy. Most of this has surrounded The Bitcoin Academy’s focus on, well, Bitcoin as opposed to more of a general focus on technology or financial literacy. Though, based on the course titles revealed in a Rolling Stone article, at least one of the academy’s offerings will focus on staying on guard against scams.
How successful will this venture be? We’ll know more once the classes themselves kick off — and as of now, that’s slated to take place on June 22.
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