In Celebration of Juneteenth and One Year Anniversary of the #BankBlack Movement
May 17, 2017 – Los Angeles – On Saturday June 17, 2017 at 6 PM PST, OneUnited Bank, the largest Black owned bank in America, will host the #WeOut Facebook LIVE event with special guests Sybrina Fulton, mother of murdered Florida teen Trayvon Martin and President of the Trayvon Martin Foundation and Melina Abdullah, founding member of Black Lives Matter, the social justice organization that was sparked by the acquittal of Trayvon’s killer.
The #WeOut event will celebrate Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19,1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
#WeOut also marks the one year anniversary of the #BankBlack Movement that began the summer 2016 when rapper Killer Mike, on a number of national media outlets, urged African-Americans to “move their money” in response to the murders of black men at the hands of law enforcement. This call to action began a tangible shift in consciousness in the Black community about the power of its $1.2 trillion in annual spending power.
“We are honored to bring these women together to discuss how we can better support each other,” states Teri Williams, President & COO of OneUnited Bank. “We strongly believe that political, economic and social justice are intertwined.”
In response to the #BankBlack Movement, many answered the call for a collective show of economic force, by moving their money from traditional banks to Black owned banks. Subsequently, millions of dollars have been moved to Black owned banks to support more loans and jobs for the Black community. OneUnited Bank has encouraged the Black community and its allies to not only move their money or #BankBlack, but also move their mind to do more business with Black owned businesses or #BuyBlack.
Tune in to this event at www.facebook.com/oneunitedbank on Saturday, June 17, 2017 at 6 PM PST.
Media Contact:
Suzan McDowell, President, The Circle L.A., a division of Circle of One Marketing
(305) 576-3790
[email protected]
ONEUNITED BANK:
OneUnited Bank is the premier bank for urban communities, the largest Black-owned bank, the first Black internet bank and a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Its mission is to provide affordable financial services to support economic development in urban communities and maintain superior financial performance to maximize shareholder value. OneUnited is an FDIC insured bank and an equal housing lender.
