MINNEAPOLIS -- Racial disparities in Minnesota were getting more focus before the police killing of George Floyd. Black entrepreneurs hope the increased awareness raised by national and worldwide protests will turn the heads of larger banks so communities of color will see more investment.

A number of bank presidents in Minnesota have issued statements pledging to help end any systemic racism within their sector. Kenya McKnight, CEO of the Black Women's Wealth Alliance, said regional banks do well helping nonprofits, but she said there's not enough direct help for black business owners.

"I just feel like there's a lack of value that some of these larger institutions have on our cultural market," McKnight said. "They look at the businesses and they go, 'Is it a viable business?' And the viability of it is based on the broader market. And the broader markets are determined greatly by the dominant culture."

Unlike home loans, where the financial system also has a history of discrimination, banks say regulations prevent them from collecting the racial background of business loan applicants. They point to high grades they earn under the federal Community Reinvestment Act, which urges banks to invest in low- to moderate-income communities.

But McKnight said the act doesn't do enough to spur investment in black neighborhoods that have struggled to build wealth.

Making a Pledge

Jeanne Crain, CEO of Bremer Bank, said there's no denying the nation's banking system has a history of redlining, a practice now considered illegal due to federal laws such as the CRA.

Locally, Crain said her company has made strides through partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity in serving minority communities. She added the Bremer's board has a presence on the Metropolitan Economic Development Association, which supports businesses of color.

Moving forward, Crain said Bremer is establishing a plan that includes increased investment in businesses owned by historically underrepresented groups. And they plan to identify ways to better serve areas where they have lacked a presence in the past.

"I'm very interested in trying to understand how Bremmer determines a geographic presence that really speaks to and leans into serving black-owned businesses," Crain said.

Despite its "outstanding" rating under the Community Reinvestment Act, their most recent evaluation noted Bremer has only two branches in low-income communities in the Twin Cities.

Digital Presence is Not Enough

McKnight said in North Minneapolis, where she's based, having only a small handful of banks in the area prevents black residents from accessing useful information about loan criteria. Though banks may offer multiple options online, she said, it can be difficult for business owners to navigate the process by themselves.

"[The banks] need a marketing campaign to talk to businesses about the services they provide," McKnight said.

She added images and marketing inside the branches could better reflect the communities in which they're located so as to make customers feel welcome.

Jermaine Toney, assistant professor of economics at Rutgers University, has studied banking access issues in the Twin Cities. He said the lack of services opens the door to non-traditional options that can leave black residents in a never-ending cycle of debt and prohibit them from building wealth.

"Payday loans, auto-title loans, check-cashing institutions," Toney said.

Economists have repeatedly cited these kinds of lenders as contributing to a system in which the accumulation of generational wealth becomes near impossible in black communities.

A number of studies have shown that even when black business owners meet the criteria for a loan, they are still denied at higher rates or are approved for smaller loan amounts than white applicants. A 2017 report issued by the U.S. Federal Reserve showed less than 47% of loans applications submitted by black business owners got approved.

Long-term Accountability

Another of the larger bank chains based in the region, U.S. Bank, said it has made investments in areas lacking economic infrastructure, and they intend to do more in light of growing demands for racial equality.

Like Bremer, U.S. Bank touted its "outstanding" rating under the Community Reinvestment Act. But the bank also received a "D+" grade in the Economic Opportunity Report Card issued by the NAACP. That report, from 2011, praised U.S. Bank for having diversity in its governing body and having a solid presence in African-American neighborhoods, but said the chain needed more diversity in its overall workforce, not just at the top.

U.S. Bank officials have pointed to recent investments made by the bank in communities like North Minneapolis - including a $50,000 grant to Camdentown and Houston White Men's Room earlier this year to support entrepreneurs and small businesses.

But like Bremer, U.S. Bank is also making a public pledge to enhance its work for communities of color. Bank President Andy Cecere said, "If we are truly going to draw strength from diversity, we have to do better. We have to create opportunities that bridge gaps, that generate economic prosperity, and that allow people to achieve their potential."

But economists like Toney say all stakeholders, including residents and local governments, need to ensure banks follow through on these commitments, or he said, black communities will continue to question the promises of American economic mobility.


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A New Mexico resident will attend President Joe Biden's State of the Union address tonight as legislation is pending to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

The measure was passed in 1990, with money going to residents of the Southwest who were harmed, either from uranium mining or atomic tests in 1945. The original legislation included "downwinders" in Arizona, Utah and Nevada. But New Mexico was left out, despite the state being home to the world's first atomic bomb testing and explosion.

Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, has made it her life's work to get New Mexico families compensated.

"I've been working for 19 years to bring attention to the negative health effects the people of New Mexico suffered," Cordova explained. "The Trinity bomb was detonated in the middle of our state and adjacent to a bunch of towns where 13,000 people lived in a 50-mile radius."

Cordova was invited to the annual Presidential address by Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M. In the coming days, the Senate is scheduled to vote on legislation to reauthorize the act, now scheduled to end in June.

Cordova pointed out the more than 30-year-old compensation program was an admission of guilt on the part of the government but left out many of those harmed. She knows families who have lost relatives to cancer, some within 10 years of the nuclear bomb testing.

"I just hope that people who know I'm present, realize that we will never give up the fight," Cordova asserted. "We will work very hard to get the RECA amendments passed this year, but if by some chance that doesn't happen, we will continue to fight this fight for justice as long as it takes."

This Sunday, the Hollywood blockbuster, Oppenheimer, about the creation of the atomic bomb, is a favorite to win best picture at the 2024 Academy Awards. The film did not address effects to those downwind of the bombing site.


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A new report finds Connecticut's recently released prison population is facing reentry challenges.

The State of Reentry report found resources and services are lacking for formerly incarcerated people. Between 2022 and 2023, 14% of the population said they would be homeless upon release.

It is just the tip of the iceberg as many of the state's Reentry Welcome Centers reported most of their clients were housing unstable.

Scott Wilderman, president and CEO of Career Resources, said it can be attributed to numerous factors including the stigma of being an ex-offender.

"We have to do a better job of educating and working with landlords and try to encourage them to give individuals a second chance," Wilderman contended. "There's no doubt about that. The sad part is, with returning citizens or ex-offenders, there's really no such thing as an ex-offender since everybody always sees the offense."

He thinks Connecticut should focus more on justice reinvestment. Other criminal justice advocates have called for using funds saved by closing prisons to invest in reentry centers. The centers are not funded by the state and have been subsisting on American Rescue Plan funds. When the money expires at the end of the year, it is uncertain how they will be able to help people with life after prison.

Given it is the third year of the report, Wilderman acknowledged there have not been many changes, but he found it surprising, noting there has been plenty of time to make improvements, specifically in areas like education.

"We know education is the great equalizer and having a high school diploma is essential," Wilderman asserted. "It just opens a lot more doors for an individual as it's often a requirement for employment, or in some cases going after further education or job training."

The report noted 66% of incarcerated people with sentences ending in six months said they did not have a high school diploma. Enrollment is down in programs for incarcerated people to complete their degrees. One reason for it is Connecticut's ongoing teacher shortage.


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After a five-year court battle, New Jersey's medical aid-in-dying law has been affirmed by the state's Supreme Court, which rejected an attempt to overturn the statute.

Signed by the governor in 2019, the law was soon challenged by a physician based on religious, personal and constitutional grounds. It allows mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to get a prescription they can use to end their lives.

Dr. Paul Bryman, a hospice and palliative care physician, is an advocate for medical aid in dying for people who feel their suffering is intolerable.

"I think it's important that that option is available for people who choose to avail themselves of it. It's not for everyone and it's someone's choice whether they want to use that. No one's forced to do it," he explained.

Bryman practices geriatric and internal medicine and believes there are adequate legal safeguards to make sure patients are protected. The law was briefly suspended in August 2019, but reinstated 13 days later as court proceedings continued.

The nonprofit group Compassion & Choices expressed support for the decision as well as expanded and improved end-of-life care options.

Alan Howard, Compassion & Choices attorney, urged the justices to uphold a lower court's ruling.

"We are grateful that the Supreme Court recognized that there are terminally ill New Jersey residents who are counting on this end-of-life care option to bring them peace of mind during this difficult time," said Howard. "Dying people should have this compassionate option to peacefully end their suffering if it becomes unbearable."

Bryman added a total of 186 terminally ill New Jerseyans have used the medical aid-in-dying law and believes the court made the right decision.

"I'm glad that it's finally over and that this law's available for people in New Jersey who have the right to their own health-care decisions," he said.

In addition to New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and nine other states, which represent 22% of all Americans, have authorized medical aid in dying.