Ismael Hernandez is the founder and president of The Freedom & Virtue Institute. The Institute exists to challenge the paternalistic, condescending, and statist way of attending to the problems of poverty in America. Its training on effective compassion and programs with students extend throughout the United States and the Caribbean. His writings have appeared in various newspapers and Crisis Magazine, World Magazine, and The Washington Times. He is the author of the book Not Tragically Colored: Freedom, Personhood, and the Renewal of Black America. Ismael holds a master’s degree in political sciences and lives in Fort Myers with his wife and three children.