White corporate banks have profited from, abused, and exploited Black patrons and communities since the end to chattel slavery. From the swindling of 61,144 Black formerly enslaved people by Freedman Savings Bank in the 1870s, to redlining and predatory lending practices, and the current financing of private prisons, environmental degradation, and murderous projects like Atlanta’s Cop City, white corporate banks are a part of the white-supremacist capitalist system that harms Black people. It costs nothing to simply move your money to a Black-owned bank that benefits the Black community. Many have made tangible commitments to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, like One United Bank’s honoring of #TrayvonMartin in Miami and sponsorship of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles. This simple move can make a big impact. For a complete list of Black-owned banks, visit Blackout Coalition’s list of Black owned banks.
