📍In the 16th century—long before concepts like GDP or modern economic inequality—a celebrated West African scholar named Ahmad Baba al-Timbukti lived and taught in the desert city of Timbuktu, then known as a global center of trade, ideas, and Islamic law. ⸻ Hey Builders, and happy Saturday! Ahmad Baba al-Timbukti (1556–1627) devoted his life to studying law, ethics, and the moral fabric of society. In his writings, he spoke of amana — the sacred trust that binds individuals to their communities. It was a principle rooted in both faith and civic life: that prosperity without justice is a form of failure, and that power means little without responsibility. More than four centuries later, his words feel startlingly current. We’re still wrestling with the same question he posed in his own age of uncertainty: how do we hold a society together when its rules, institutions, or sense of fairness begin to fracture? So this Saturday, as you reset, take his challenge not as history but as an invitation — to think about a question as pervasive now as it was then..... When order gives way to chaos, what does it mean to protect justice — especially for those most vulnerable to its absence? Let’s dive in. ⸻ 🇺🇸 The “Civil” in Civic Engagement Civic engagement isn’t limited to voting every few years. It’s how we contribute between elections — how we fill the gaps left by systems and politics. • Checking on the single mom who runs the daycare. •Mentoring the kid who’s brilliant but disconnected. •Organizing food drives, coding nights, neighborhood cleanups. • Speaking truth at city hall — and sharing a meal with someone whose views differ from your own. At its core, civic engagement means understanding: | “My community’s well-being is inseparable from my own.” In an age of technology and polarization, that may be the most radical act of all — choosing humanity, again and again. ⸻ 🌱 Actions for Today 1️⃣ Reflect: Choose a civic issue — food, housing, education, tech access — and ask how to engage beyond social media. 2️⃣ Reconnect: Contact a local organization, school, or city program already doing the work. Offer your skills, your time, or your platform. 3️⃣ Recommit: Practice small acts of citizenship — volunteer, vote, attend a town hall, start a local project, or mentor a young builder. Civic engagement starts small. So does every movement that ever transformed a community. ⸻ 👐 Help, Healing, and Where to Begin If you or someone you know is struggling right now: ▪️ Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) ▪️ Text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line) ▪️ Dial 2-1-1 for local food and housing help (This is not a complete list of resources, but a place to start.) ⸻ ⚡️ OHUBNext Daily Brief — investments, edge tech, and moves that matter. For over 12 years, OHUB has built pathways to multi-generational wealth through exposure, skills, entrepreneurship, capital markets, and inclusive ecosystems—helping people create new jobs, companies, and opportunity without reliance on inherited wealth.