Black to the Future: Carrying Black History Forward
Growing up, I remember hearing tales of my grandfather Leo’s fight to maintain ownership of the land that had been in our family for generations. In my hometown in North Carolina, he was the first Black man to own property in the city limits. He often faced overt acts…
Read MoreCRC, Small Business Advocates Call on State to Address Equity and Access Issues of COVID-19 Relief Grant Program
California Reinvestment Coalition and seven Los Angeles-based small business advocate organizations urged the State to consider implementing recommendations that would prioritize equity, accessibility, transparency, and accountability around the California Small Business COVID-19 Grant Relief Program, which opened applications for business owners on Feb. 2. Business owners of colors, and…
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CRC Meets with Likely Comptroller of the Currency Appointee Michael Barr
As part of a series of transition team meetings, CRC and some of its members last month met with Michael Barr, who is likely to be nominated to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). If confirmed, Barr will succeed Brian Brooks, who has led the…
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We Can’t Bank on Wall Street to be Transparent, A Public Sedition Audit is Needed
Don’t be fooled by the hollow statements of the past few weeks. In the days after the Jan. 6 violent attempted coup on the nation’s Capitol, Wall Street’s calls to “end the violence” and its oblivious and cliched claim that our country is somehow “better than this” rang even…
Read MoreThe Bank Rundown – January 2021
In this month’s Bank Rundown, we look at a potential merger between the United State’s 11th largest bank by total assets and the 39th largest; a California loan company’s bid to become a bank; and more. CIT Bank being bought by First Citizens Bank of North Carolina In November,…
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Celebrating 20 Years of Kevin Stein
by Paulina Gonzalez-Brito Today marks the 20th anniversary of Kevin Stein’s tenure at the California Reinvestment Coalition. All of us at CRC congratulate and thank Kevin for his many years of service to CRC and the communities CRC and our members serve. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to…
Read MoreCRC, NCRC and CIT Announce Historic Community Benefits Agreement
By Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, Executive Director CRC When we fight we win! It’s been five years since we stood outside of the Federal Reserve building in Los Angeles protesting the OneWest/CIT merger as the banking regulators held a hearing inside. I still remember that day like it was yesterday; some…
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A (White) National Disgrace
This past April I was walking down Valencia Street in the Mission District of San Francisco, commonly known as La Mission, a historically Latino community, the home of Carnaval, low riders, and generations of Latino families. La Mission is my adopted work home – I am a newcomer…
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Striving for Deeper Immigrant Financial Inclusion
Guest Blog Post: Karla Guerra Co-Chair and Lead Organizer of CRC’s Here to Stay Initiative Hardly a week goes by without a major news story related to the Federal government targeting and hurting immigrant households. In an era with heightened xenophobia and overt racism, we are observing deteriorating human…
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Why Are Immigrant Youth Not Banked?
As co-chair of CRC’s Here to Stay Campaign and an avid advocate for immigrant youth financial access, I believe that immigrant youth have the capability to become financially stable and build their assets if, and only if, they are given the support they need through efficient systems and…
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CRC Welcomes New Team Members!
CRC works closely with our members and allies to build an inclusive and fair economy that meets the needs of communities of color and low-income communities throughout California. At possibly no time in recent history, has there been a greater need for our coalition to work together to ensure that banks…
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We Need Retirement Systems and Public Benefit Programs that don’t Exclude Immigrants
By Symone Jackson Immediately following the 2016 election, immigrant rights advocacy groups like the California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) began hearing complaints from people who expressed fears about facing discrimination, and in some cases, deportation, due to an increasingly hostile, anti-immigrant political climate. In response, CRC launched the Here to…
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