- End slavery
- End Jim Crow Laws
- Achieve civil rights
- Create economic inclusion
There is a very specific role that banks and financial institutions play in achieving true equality in America. That role is to champion economic inclusion by building trust across social, cultural, racial, political, generational, regional, religious and economic differences. We can accomplish this by opening opportunity, increasing access and investing our capital — human, social and financial.
In 2021, far too many Americans continue to experience the harsh realities of the “other America." As we work toward recovering from a global health pandemic, a national reckoning around race in America, and dealing with the economic devastation that so many workers and employers are facing right now, it is time to come together. King offers hope in his speech's closing statement:
“I want to close by saying this afternoon that I still have faith in the future," he said. “And I still believe that these problems can be solved. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discourse of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to speed up the day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and live together as brothers and sisters, all over this great nation. That will be a great day, that will be a great tomorrow. In the words of the scripture, to speak symbolically, that will be the day when the morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy."
The full version of King's “The Other America” speech is available on YouTube. To learn more about the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. please visit The King Center.