photo by steed media service

Before Marcus Crenshaw’s cousin passed away, he made absolutely sure he had life insurance. Crenshaw saw that in his cousin’s absence, his family was still able to maintain their standard of living. With that experience in mind, Crenshaw joined New York Life and is on a mission to educate African Americans on the importance of having life insurance.

“I don’t think as a culture African Americans are in tuned to knowing that insurance is a critical part of life, and it’s something that they need to have,” he says. “A lot of people say, ‘I need insurance,’ but they don’t know where to go. We’re trying to be out front and let everybody know that we’re here; we’re available to those who need it.”

When bad things unexpectedly happen and loved ones are lost, Crenshaw and his staff are there, helping their clients at every turn.

“People think of insurance as having a negative connotation because it deals with death,” he says. “We give hope. When there is death and there are bills still there, the mortgage still needs to be paid, [and] the kids still need to go to school, we’re there to help them.”

Nevertheless, Crenshaw encourages people to secure their future, whether they get insurance from his company or not.

“If you don’t get [insurance] from me, hopefully, you’ll get it from someone,” he says. “Educate yourself, because I don’t think we’re educated enough on financial literacy and things of that nature.” - gavin philip godfrey

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