Racial justice

Happy Juneteenth. Today, we celebrate Black Americans’ freedom and achievements. We reflect on a period in our history that has shaped and continues to influence our society today. While the fight for racial justice and equity continues, we commemorate Juneteenth to honor Black Americans who fought and continue to fight for our freedom and basic rights.

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! AAPI are people having origins from East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and peoples of Oceania. The month of May is dedicated to celebrating all the contributions and impact the AAPI community has had on American culture since the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the U.S. in 1843, as well as the Chinese migrant workers that partook in the construction of the transcontinental railway. 

Amalgamated Bank affirms the decision to hold George Floyd’s murderer accountable for his actions. However, innocent Black people continue to die every day at the hands of the police. This violence must end now, and although Derek Chauvin will be punished, that is not enough to fix the systemic racism deeply ingrained in the criminal justice system and our larger society.

Today, Amalgamated Bank announced its endorsement of HR 40, which is calling upon the Federal Government to form a Commission to explore reparations for African Americans. As of now, we are the first major U.S. bank to endorse HR 40, but are hopeful we are not the last.

Last week, Amalgamated Bank issued a public statement on our support for Black Lives Matter and promised that tangible actions would be forthcoming. I am sharing with you where we are now, just a little over a week later, and where I believe we can head in the future.

This afternoon I sent the following message to the Amalgamated Bank community: The events of this past weekend in Charlottesville have at the same time saddened and angered us. They have forced many Americans to once again reflect on the issues that continue to divide us as a nation.