By Thomas Sheffield
People have the propensity to resist change. We resist change out of fear and laziness. It takes work to change and we must be willing to do the work to change the way we think. Let’s be mindful of the actions we take in order to make this world, our world, and our community a better place. Malcom X said: “Change is only a good thing if you change in a good way.” We must change the way we think and start to make positive effective change by supporting local minority businesses. Small businesses are the way we build sustainable communities. We can start by investing our dollar in our local banks and minority owned financial institutions. There is an economic revolution as a result of the political climate where we get back to the basics and bank black. And you have a great opportunity to get involved.
Despite the growing economy and near-record unemployment, many people have a difficult time finding their financial footing. Studies show 38% of adults with income below $75,000 have no emergency savings in place. Years ago, black owned banks were minorities only option when it came to finances when discrimination in banking was common. Now these banks can once again help us to bring our community into the thriving communities we all desire. We have always depended on them to serve the underserved and they provide an opportunity for many of us to reconnect to mainstream financial services. Too many minorities rely on check cashing services, payday loans and other high-cost financial services. Studies show that more than 53% of African Americans are either underbanked or unbanked meaning they don’t have an account with a bank and result to using other services. According to the FDIC, this is double the percentage of the rest of the population.
We can change this and Bank Black. One such organization that deserves our support is Metropolitan Teachers Credit Union formally known as Teachers Benefit Association which is located at 1605 Jefferson Street. Chartered in 1957, it began with a small group of eight educators who joined together to serve the financial needs of African American Teachers in Nashville. This small credit union is still in operation today and offers services to all teachers and their family members in the Nashville area. Currently there are over 800 members. Services include financial counseling, direct deposit, payroll deduction, and are adding mobile banking and debit cards to their offerings. They also offer services to Businesses of 500 employees or less. There is a joining fee of $50 of which $25 is used to open an account an $25 goes into a savings account. Metro Teachers Credit Union also offers traditional checking and savings accounts with Christmas Club and Summer savings options. Put your money where your mouth is and join the revolution and Bank Black. Visit www.metrotcu.com for more information on the Metropolitan Teachers Credit Union.
If you have ideas on how to do better and capitalize on your opportunities, please feel free to contact me thomsustainablueconsulting@gmail.com or you can follow me on Twitter @tcsheff. #Resist #Wordsactionchange
