| COMMEMORATING THE BIRTH OF THE FREEDMAN'S SAVINGS BANK
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Today commemorates the 156th anniversary of the birth of the Freedman's Savings Bank. As the final battles of the Civil War waged on, President Abraham Lincoln began working on a plan to help integrate the newly emancipated Black Americans into American life and society. Included in that plan was an institution to help spur the freed men and women's economic life. Thus, the Freedman's Savings Bank in conjunction with the Freedman's Bureau was born.
President Lincoln relied heavily on the advice and insights of a prominent and influential Black abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. Douglass, a freedman before the Emancipation Proclamation, understood the importance of financial dignity and economic inclusion if African Americans were to fully participate in American life and obtain the American Dream. He would go on to be one of the bank's greatest advocates, putting up some of his own money to help it remain solvent, and even led its efforts for a brief while.
The Freedman's Savings Bank stands in history as a monument to the power of collective action and a willingness to uplift others. Despite the many attempts to thwart the progress of America's disenfranchised and the voiceless, the spirit of the Freedman's Bank and Bureau persists to give a voice to the voiceless and opportunity to achieve economic prosperity. The Bank, one of the great inventions of American democracy and altruism, live on perpetually through the work and mission of Operation HOPE.
On January 7, 2016, to preserve the legacy of the Freedman's Bank, at the urging of Chairman Bryant and Operation HOPE, former Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew, renamed the Treasury Annex Building, The Freedman's Bank Building in honor of where the Freedman's Savings Bank once stood.
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| Giving a Voice to the Voiceless: HOPE Launches New "Operation HOPE Channel"
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In conjunction with our celebration of the Freedman's Bank, Operation HOPE is proud to announce the launch of our new Operation HOPE Channel, America's Voice for the Economically Underserved. The channel will serve as a repository for HOPE's thought leadership, research, announcements, education, and advocacy surrounding financial equity, inclusion, and uplift of our nation's disenfranchised, unbanked, economically underserved, and the middle-class. The Operation HOPE Channel will become a resource hub for those striving to make the promise of America a reality for themselves and their families and a resource center for allies of the financial dignity movement.
Click the button below to explore the channel and share it with your friends, family, and your broader social networks.
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| Operation HOPE: The Freedman's Bank of the 21st Century
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Operation HOPE leads the way in helping Americans develop a positive money mindset and knowledgeably engaging in the American economic system. For far too long, millions of Americans, most notably people of color and rural communities, have been excluded from participating in the primary modes of financial uplift and advancement, namely: homeownership, business creation, and access to credit and financial literacy.
For nearly 30 years, we have fought for and with the American people to promote better access to these wealth building tools and empowering families to thrive. Most recently, we have taken our mission and the lingering vision of the Freedman's Bank to new heights through the 1 Million Black Businesses (1MBB) initiative. 1MBB, powered by HOPE and Shopify, aims to stand up 1 million Black-owned businesses across the country over the next decade. The program has just begun and new founders are burgeoning daily and existing Black-owned business owners are giving new digital life to their enterprises.
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Last year, the United States Treasury Department hosted the Freedman's Bank Forum to commemorate the 155th anniversary of the Freedman's Bank. This event was born out of collaboration and partnership between Operation HOPE and the US Treasury Department, and from conversations between HOPE Founder, Chairman, and CEO, John Hope Bryant, and then-US Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin.
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Jack Lew, 76th United States Secretary of the Treasury and Chairman John Hope Bryant
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Steven T. Mnuchin, 77th United States Secretary of the Treasury; Chairman John Hope Bryant; and Justin Muzinich, former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
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The Forum not only served as a commemorative event for an important institution in American history, but also provided a framework for advancing access to capital, access to opportunity, financial literacy, financial wellness and wealth building strategies for the future.
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| Remembering Vernon Jordan: A Hero of the Financial Dignity Movement
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Yesterday, the world learned of the passing of Mr. Vernon Jordan, a hero of the civil rights and silver rights movements. Jordan was raised in Atlanta and followed in the tradition of the city's greatest son, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and helped fight for equal rights for people of color in the United States. He famously escorted Charlayne Hunter, one of the first two African Americans to integrate the University of Georgia, to the school's registrar office. Among his many notable accomplishments, he was the head of the National Urban League and became advisor to many U.S. presidents.
Chairman John Hope Bryant joined Roland Martin on #RolandMartinUnfiltered to reflect on the life and legacy of Mr. Jordan. Click on the image above or the button below to view.
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| Uplifting the Community through Acts of Service
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Last week, Operation HOPE, along with Just Brothers, 100 Black Men, and Healthe Inc., donated 100 state-of-the-art air filters to Atlanta Public Schools to help facilitate the safe reopening of the district for teachers, students, and staff.
This donation typifies the widespread effects of financial empowerment coupled with community focused altruism and gets to the heart of the intended purpose of the Freedman's Bank and financial dignity at-large.
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