A Crisis Update and Good News
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Today, I have an update on the situation my colleague Chandan is facing in Bangladesh and a separate, unrelated bit of good news.
Update on the Crisis in Bangladesh
First, I want to thank members of the SuperCrowd community who have poured out heartfelt concern for Chandan and his family in Bangladesh. After reading Monday’s post, which served in part as an apology for not delivering our weekly list of new offerings on schedule, dozens of you personally responded to me (and others likely to Chandan directly), expressing concern for his welfare and appreciation for his work. Thank you all!
Update: As of Wednesday morning in the US, Chandan has confirmed that he and his family are safe!
Only 48 hours have passed since I drafted Monday’s post. We’ve seen some positive developments. A 48-hour truce from the protestors following the Supreme Court's ruling favorable to their cause was extended for another 48 hours. That goodwill has led to a slow, rolling reignition of internet connections. I’ve still not heard from Chandan, but I hope to hear any moment that he and his wife and son are safe.
The broader crisis in Bangladesh, however, is growing. The government’s crackdown on protesters resulted in hundreds of deaths, many hundreds of injuries and thousands of arrests of people, many of whom are still detained. The protests originally focused on the governments’ restrictive hiring policies that threatened career opportunities for students seeking work, have mushroomed to include people who resent the strong-arm tactics of the Bangladeshi government.
Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus, a native Bangladeshi who has devoted his life to fighting poverty, has signaled his alignment with the movement. He issued the following statement on behalf of the Yunus Centre:
Bangladesh has been engulfed in a crisis that only seems to get worse with each passing day. Students, and others protesting alongside them, have been attacked by the nation’s police, the Border Guard Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh Chhatra League, leading to at least 200 estimated deaths and 700 injuries, some of them serious. High school students have been among the victims.
I urgently call on world leaders and the United Nations to do everything within their powers to end the violence against those who are exercising their rights to protest. There must be investigations into the killings that have taken place already.
The Internet and telephone service in Bangladesh has been cut off, so it is unlikely that my fellow citizens will hear this appeal soon or be able to make their own to world leaders. I urge people of goodwill around the world to add their voices to my call for world leaders and the United Nations to end this unnecessary carnage so that we can all get back to the work of building the self-reliant, democratic, and peaceful Bangladesh of our dreams.
I hope we can all join Professor Yunus in sharing this message by sharing this post.
News of Another Sort: Welcome to Jonas Lyberger Thorpe
Call me G-dad or G-pa. Don’t call me Grandpa. I’m thrilled by my new role in life, but I'm not ready to embrace the very age-appropriate title that comes with the birth of my beautiful new grandson, Jonas Lyberger Thorpe.
My son Dayton and Kelsey, his wife, who have been together for a decade, are proud parents, and I’m thrilled for them. Jonas weighed in at a healthy 7 pounds 15 ounces, a remarkable size given that his tiny mother weighed little more than that before giving birth.
Jonas is healthy, as is his mother. She is completing a postdoc at Stanford; Jonas was delivered at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital on campus. The care was extraordinary. Every possible health check for mother and baby has been completed. Both are healthy and home.
Jonas was born on Sunday evening. I could have included this exciting update in my post on Monday, but frankly couldn’t bring myself to pair my good news with the life-threatening crisis facing Chandan. I hope you and he will forgive me for crossing that line today.
Upcoming SuperCrowd Event Calendar
If a location is not noted, the events below are virtual.
Impact Cherub Club Meeting hosted by The Super Crowd, Inc., a public benefit corporation, on August 20, 2024, at 1:00 PM Eastern. Each month, the Club meets to review new offerings for investment consideration and to conduct due diligence on previously screened deals. To join the Impact Cherub Club, become an Impact Member of the SuperCrowd.
SuperCrowdHour, August 21, 2024, at 1:00 PM Eastern. Each month, we host a value-laden webinar for aspiring impact investors or social entrepreneurs. At this month’s webinar, Devin Thorpe will provide a “Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Capital from the Crowd.”
Recently, we created an AI GPT to help you learn more about The Super Crowd, Inc., a public benefit corporation, and our upcoming events. Click here to try it.
Community Event Calendar
Investing and Crowdfunding 101, July 22, 2024, 1:00 Eastern: Samreen Arshad of Samreen’s Vanity and Devin Thorpe of The Super Crowd, Inc.
Successful Funding with Karl Dakin, Tuesdays at 10:00 AM ET - Click on Events
Community Capital Live: Betty Francisco and Aliana Piñeiro of Boston Impact Initiative - Virtual Event: July 31, at 2 pm ET
Main Street Skowhegan and NC3 Entrepreneur Finance Workshop Series, September 17 - November 19, 2023.
Crowdfunding Professional Association, Summit in DC, October 22-23
If you would like to submit an event for us to share with the 8,000+ members of the SuperCrowd, click here.
Thank you for your kind words! We are safe and doing well now. Your support means a lot to us.
Congratulations, G-pa! 🎉 Thrilled to hear about the arrival of your beautiful grandson, Jonas Lyberger Thorpe. Your joy is contagious, and I’m so happy for you and your family during this special time.