At a summer camp, juice boxes and bitcoin mining

“Most of us grew up in school and nobody ever taught us how money worked,” said camp founder Najah Roberts, who is Black and started the camp as one way to try to close the racial wealth gap. This week marked a return for the camp, which like many closed during the pandemic, and Roberts said she’s determined that the children get an early exposure to subjects such as the history of money and how currency trading works — especially those from Black, Latino or other communities who she said may be less likely to learn about digital currency through family, friends or school. “It’s digital currency that’s going to take over this universe,” said Ashlynne Whitt, who attended Roberts’ first Crypto Kids Camp two years ago at age 16. Any company and any store is going to accept bitcoin or some type of digital currency.” Roberts’ camp may be the only one of its kind in the U.S., though it’s beginning to inspire others, especially among Black bitcoin investors. Isaiah Jackson, author of the book “Bitcoin & Black America” and a bitcoin podcaster, said he plans to start taking sign-ups next week for an online-only cryptocurrency camp in July.