BNCRC is a local Coalition of community organizations working to eliminate inequitable banking practices and the enduring impact of redlining. In the past, banks used discriminatory policies like redlining to determine who to give loans to. Without access to capital, communities of color found it difficult to do things like start their own businesses, take out a home mortgage, go to college or make repairs on their homes and is responsible for much of the poverty and segregation of neighborhoods we see to this day.

There are few laws in place which encourage banks to help those communities which they forced into poverty for decades. BNCRC works with local banks to ensure these laws are being followed, and advocates for more branches and better products and services for the people of traditionally neglected communities.

The BNCRC has taken advantage of the unique opportunities COVID-19 has provided by hosting and engaging our communities through virtual workshops. These workshops were around Community Development Block Grant funds specific to COVID-19, the federal funding from the CARES Act and participatory budgeting, a democratic way communities have access to spend public funds. As COVID-19 further exacerbates racial and economic disparities in our city, the Coalition has been able to continue the message of community control and creating the links between banking, our government and community reinvestment.