From Hustle to Healing: Uncovering Financial Trauma in 'Power Book II: Ghost'
This evening the much-anticipated series finale of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ airs on Starz and I thought now was as good a time as any to bring one of the few TV shows I keep up with into my world of financial trauma.
If you don’t or haven’t watched the Power series brought to us by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Courtney A. Kemp, that’s ok I’m going to get you caught up.
Throughout the Power universe — the themes of power, survival, and wealth acquisition are deeply intertwined with financial trauma across each respective series. It starts with Power and splinters off into Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force.
The Roots of Financial Trauma in Power
The story centers around the lives of James “Ghost” St. Patrick, his wife Tasha, their son Tariq St. Patrick, and Ghost’s best friend —and sometimes worst enemy— Tommy Egan. In the original series Power, Ghost and Tommy build a drug enterprise to escape the poverty of his youth and amass significant personal wealth before Ghost decides he wants out of the drug game and wants to become a legitimate businessman.
(I know, I know another series about Black people being drug dealers but stay with me.)
This creates tension between him and his wife who has grown accustomed to the life of luxury and financial security her husband’s drug empire has afforded her.
What I really enjoyed about the original series is that Ghost had to develop these street survival tactics to create his vision of a better life for his family, but it’s lost on his family that the drug game was never the goal it was a means to an end. Ghost and Tasha’s bickering around money (not in the sense that they didn’t have enough but moreso its role and significance in creating this luxury lifestyle) was observed by their son Tariq who was raised with all of the financial privilege one can ask for. He was given everything Ghost didn’t have growing up but his observations of the conflict money created within the household and the power his father had as a result of the money set him on a path to build his own empire. The original series ends with Ghost’s death at the hands of his son Tariq creating the spinoff, Power Book II: Ghost.
When I teach people how to understand their money stories I often lead with the things they :
See
Hear
Are told
And experience (or have lived)
Especially as children because these stories—however nuanced or incomplete— impact their current attitudes and behaviors around money. It might seem counterintuitive that Tariq would follow in his father’s footsteps but his money story almost demands it (despite inheriting a trust fund on the condition he completes 4 years of college and gets a degree).
Financial Trauma Passed Down: Power Book II
With Ghost dead and graduating college as the barrier to inheriting his father’s wealth, Tariq is drawn into the same dangerous world of drugs, murder, and power his father was. Many times it’s the ghosts of his father’s past returning to haunt him as he tries to balance being a normal kid and leading a criminal enterprise that perpetuates the same cycle of financial trauma and the deification of money he witnessed as a child.
See also: Ja Morant Demonstrates Another Side To Financial Trauma
Tariq’s financial trauma strains the relationships in his life much like Ghost and Tasha's marriage as the relationships with family friends, and business partners are all impacted by financial pressures and trauma.
The characters in the show are often seen navigating the emotional and psychological toll that financial trauma takes on them including how it impacts their mental health, leading to paranoia, anxiety, and reckless decision-making. Much like what we witnessed in the real world with the viral ‘Chase Bank Glitch’, the harm-avoidant behavior as a result of financial stress can result in doing more harm in the long term. (Click the linked text on Chase Bank Glitch to see my recent article for Forbes where I discuss this. It has over 70,000 views!)
Breaking the Cycle of Financial Trauma
Throughout the series, there are a few instances where characters attempt to break free from the cycle. As I mentioned earlier, Ghost’s desire to go legit was almost realized, but not without resistance or pushback from family and friends. This speaks to the impact of influences outside of us on our financial behavior. I often describe this as culture (not to be confused with Black culture) similar to that pressure you might feel to participate in happy hour and other out-of-work gatherings to appear to be a team player despite maybe not being interested, or what you might wear on an interview to appear professional.
We also see Tariq’s attempt to balance school with his criminal activities. While the show is fictional (sometimes overly fictional) it does highlight the nuance of real experiences Black American’s have with the barriers to breaking the cycle of financial trauma , including systemic issues like poverty, race, and lack of opportunities.
With the close of the series upon us, I’m curious to see how the writers will demonstrate the characters salvation—or not— and what this means for Tariq’s financial freedom. Not just in the sense of material wealth, but freedom from the trauma of trying to survive by keeping it.
The cycle of financial trauma is hard to escape, but awareness is the first step. What steps are you taking to break free? Share your journey in the comments, and if you’re new here join our community by subscribing for more resources.