Pub. 9 2020 Issue 4

Pub. 9 2020 Issue 4 23 pleased to announce a strategic partnership this year with the National Bankers Association, the leading trade association for MDIs, to promote the health and well- being of underrepresented communities. And we are collaborating with and promoting MinBanc, which reimburses educational and professional development expenses of MDI bankers. This is all to say that both ABA and the industry have a strong foundation upon which to build. And build we must. Unacceptable racial disparities in health, wealth, income, education and other measures of opportunity continue to grow — and the pandemic has laid bare these disparities. Proportionately, two and half times more Black Americans have lost their lives to COVID-19 than white Americans. We cannot shrug our shoulders and declare these inequities someone else’s problem. We cannot fail to engage. We are bankers, we are civic leaders and we must be part of the solution. We cannot shrug our shoulders and declare these inequities someone else’s problem. We cannot fail to engage . We are bankers, we are civic leaders and we must be part of the solution.