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Monique Greenwood, former editor-in-chief of Essence, started a bed-and-breakfast business in an effort of building a legacy for her daughter, Glynn.

RELATED: 6 Black-Owned Bed & Breakfasts That Feel Like Home

It’s a good thing because the wealth gap between Blacks and White households has widened since 1989, when Whites held 17 times the wealth of Blacks, according to Pew Research Center.

For her part, Greenwood owns four Akwaaba bed and breakfast inns in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Washington, D. C., Cape May, New Jersey, and the Poconos in Pennsylvania. During a media event Wednesday at the Brooklyn location to announce the unveiling of OWN’s new series Checked Inn, Greenwood, Glynn, her husband, Glenn Pogue, discussed the family business.

“It means everything to me to build a legacy because I feel like we shouldn’t leave it to our children to start from scratch,” Greenwood said. “Who is going to help me continue to tell my story when I’m no longer here to say it for myself? That’s what my kid has to do. And so I put so much into her and I know that comes with a lot of expectation. I also know she’s just the person for the job.”

But Glynn has her heart set on becoming writer. Never the twain shall meet? The series will explore the importance of legacy and Black wealth building, and how Greenwood hopes to turn over a thriving business for her daughter to take to the next level.

“Knowing that you are trying to build a legacy it gives you purpose in life,” she said. “When you wake up in the morning, you have some direction. You have some reason you have to get it done. I know that when I leave this earth, I’m gonna make a mark.”

Watch the trailer:

 

 

Checked Inn premieres Tuesday, November 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

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