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DeFi for the Diaspora.

The cover of DeFi for the Diaspora, second edition, by Kamal R. Hubbard: a world map of dots joined by yellow lines, held up by a raised fist

A book by Kamal Hubbard

Kamal runs research for We Them Media. His book, first published in 2021 and now in its second edition, goes through the history of money, where it has left Black communities around the world, and how decentralized finance could be used to change that.

Buy the hardcover →

Also as an ebook or an audiobook, and the companion DeFi Action Planner. Kamal sells these himself. The 2023 paperback is at MahoganyBooks.

Second edition · Hardcover, ebook and audiobook, sold by the author · 2023 paperback: 150 pages, CageChain Media Group, ISBN 978-1736709740

What it is about.

One-part Black history, one-part Black futurism, “DeFi for the Diaspora” examines the history of money to underscore the economic predicament of the global Black collective in the face of the “Great Reset.” People of African heritage are confronted with a threat and a choice after years of financial maltreatment & discrimination. This book presents how technology can be leveraged to bring equity and sustainability to the global Black economy.

From the back cover

Who Kamal is.

Kamal Hubbard, in a blue suit and glasses, in front of a carved stone doorway

Kamal Hubbard is a lawyer by training who is certified in Fraud Examination, Cybersecurity, and Decentralized Finance. Kamal spent two years conducting individual research on Bitcoin and blockchain technology before entering a position in cryptocurrencies. He has had conversations with the SEC, CFTC, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and provided legislator education on these subjects in Sacramento.

Mr. Hubbard also had the privilege of testifying before California’s Senate Banking Committee on the basics of blockchain and Bitcoin. Kamal also served as part of the Blockchain Advocacy Coalition in support of California bills AB 2658 and SB 838, which provided a definition of “blockchain” under California state law and allowed businesses to transfer equity using distributed ledgers.

In his own words, September 2026

He founded CageChain Media Group, which publishes the book, and he hosts Crypto with Kamal, a show of conversations with people working in crypto. At We Them Media he runs the research behind our coverage and co-writes The We Them Weekly, our newsletter.

How he met Maceo.

Kamal interviewed Maceo in September 2023 at the sixth annual Black Blockchain Summit, on the Howard University campus in Washington, DC. It was Maceo’s first time at the summit. They talked about how Maceo got into crypto, music NFTs and his podcast.

Crypto with Kamal, episode 46, with the full transcript, from Kamal’s YouTube channel, 13 October 2023

Find Kamal.

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