With ‘Built For Greatness: Men Who Move The Culture,’ Guildia Lopez crafts a love letter to Black men and the man who inspired her
TheGrio...
The founder of Brothers and Briefcases speaks exclusively to theGrio about her latest venture, how delusion pushed a dream and why the book is an easter egg for a dear relative.
Coffee table books are meant to evoke emotion.
When you open one, every image jumps out at you. They’re bold, they’re striking and in most cases, they allow you to sit with them as if you were right there for the photo, or even riding along for when the insert was written. In Guildia Lopez’s case, the Guatemala-born Bronx native pieced together a decade and more of love for the Black men around her who are doing good in their communities.
“Black men do yearn brotherhood,” Lopez told theGrio. “They want safe spaces. They want to be able to talk about their experiences, not only in corporate America, but on a day, day to day life.”
Lopez, through her Brothers and Briefcases imprint, is set to release “Built For Greatness: Men Who Move The Culture,” a coffee-table book spotlighting individuals from her Brothers and Briefcases series, including creative directors, life coaches, barbers, and more. Through its 219 pages, the book offers a glimpse into the men’s lives, their impact on the community, and more. Not every name may be known on a global scale, but in their communities and beyond, the men have a distinction few can replicate. It’s their dedication that made Lopez want to spotlight them and also pen a note to her nephew.
In a teaser for the book, Lopez admitted she was delusional at first when launching Brothers and Briefcases. After having a dream about the platform, Lopez’s idea went a step further after a chance conversation with Dr. Kells Barnett, who became one of the original men to take part in the Brothers and Briefcases panel and subsequent class.
“I was like, ‘Hey, I have this idea,’” she recalls. “There’s a lot of women empowerment spaces. It’s a lot of like, spaces for women. I have this idea. I don’t have no money, I don’t have no logo, I don’t have the website, but this is my idea. And if you are down to do this, then I’m gonna make it possible.”
Others would soon buy in. To date, Brothers and Briefcases has held nine classes honoring various members of the community. And even though a few of the men spotlighted have seen themselves in the book, Lopez is eager to get their first reaction once they do.
“Their core passion is to give back to the community,” she says of the men spotlighted. “So that’s always going to be what connects all of us, right? Like even, even if you are a doctor, engineer, teacher, fashion designer, a barber, our core understanding is that in order for us to move forward, we have to move forward as a community.”
The book itself is rife with intention, as it operates as a letter to a family member, letting him know that he is not alone in the world. Lopez personally picked out the green covering and gold lettering, as they, to her, represent royalty and feel “very rich.”
“I really wanted everyone, specifically Black and brown men … when they see the book, feel the book? I want them to understand that they are royal, and they are, you know, kings, that they are wanted and then needed, that they have been seen, that they are loved,” Lopez said. “And that’s why I picked green and gold and even the title, ‘Built for Greatness.’ Yes, some of the culture, like you, is built for greatness. It does not matter. In one set, you are built for greatness.”
Lopez had her initial doubts with Brothers and Briefcases. The initial panel from 2017 did not have any social media representation. In fact, it did not have a logo or a website, only word of mouth. But having validation from the men on the panel and others within the community propelled Lopez to keep going.
It also made her look inward.
Lopez, who lost her father a few years ago, unconsciously found herself crafting the book and her brand as a mirror for the men her father hung around and partnered with. Several of the stories in the book connect to him, as does a touching foreword that begins the book and serves as a compass for every page that follows.
“This book is deeply personal to me, because at its heart it belongs to the man who helped shape the woman I became and continue to become, my father, Mr. Rafael Angel Lopez,” she began. “To him, I will always be his baby girl. And to me, he will always be the example of strength, family, love, humility, and quiet wisdom. He didn’t need to raise his voice for me to hear him; his actions spoke louder than anything.”
She continued, “Through him, I learned that integrity is not just a word, it is a way of LIFE. When the name Brothers and Briefcases came to me in a
dream, I didn’t fully understand what it meant or what it was meant to become. But I trusted it, because I had been taught to listen to the whispers of purpose. And as the vision unfolded, I began to see it clearly: this wasn’t just a name, it was a calling.”
The foreword ends with a thank-you note to Lopez’s father, her “first protector,” as the book embodies a spirit of gratitude and continues “his legacy and proof that the seeds you planted have grown into something that will last.”
As far as future candidates to be spotlighted for Brothers and Briefcases? The Black girl from Guatemala who grew into a woman piecing together a love letter for Black men already has a few dream names in mind, from LeBron James to Oscar-winning actor Michael B. Jordan. With James, who was at the top of her list, it wouldn’t even be about basketball with the four-time NBA champion and future Hall of Famer.
“He understands brotherhood,” she said with a smile. “All his boys are part of his business; he put them in a position to excel with him, and then you go back to your community and open up a school, and the kids in the school are excelling.”
Other candidates include Charlemagne Tha God, Will Smith and even former President Barack Obama. But more importantly than any notable celeb, Lopez has in mind celebrating Garifuna individuals from Guatemala and people from the diaspora. All in the name of passing the stories of Black men who have made it.
Inspiring the next generation to make it in their own way.
Built For Greatness: Men Who Move The Culture is slated for an April release. Pre-orders are available now.