Fight Against Racism Takes a Step Forward With Carolina CU League
“With our internal working group and the full support of the League board, we are walking down this path together."
The Carolinas Credit Union League board voted unanimously this month to sign a pledge committing to taking meaningful steps to address systemic racism, a move that comes two months after the organization formed a working group to promote diversity and inclusion.
Since June, the working group — including nine employees and Lauren Whaley, president of the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation — has met weekly to discuss ways the league can advance diversity, racial equity and inclusion at credit unions in North Carolina and South Carolina.
“With our internal working group and the full support of the League board, we are walking down this path together,” Dan Schline, CEO of the Carolina Credit Union League, said. “We are listening and learning, and the more we do, the better we can be in supporting the success of credit unions and the people we serve.”
The killing of George Floyd in police custody prompted largely peaceful protests across the country, along with a renewed reckoning with racial discrimination in the U.S. In the wake of Floyd’s death, top financial executives and other business leaders called on employees to fight racism.
The Carolinas Credit Union League signed a pledge that has been promoted by the CU Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Collective, a group that includes national credit union system organizations and service providers. As part of the pledge, credit unions commit to examining “products and policies that appear ‘race neutral’ with a racial equity lens to extend the benefits to communities of color.”
The pledge also entails reviewing pricing and fee structures to ensure that credit unions are not disproportionately burdening “those who have lacked historical access to quality financial services.”
The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation, the Charlotte-based Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union and Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union in Columbia, S.C., have also signed the pledge.
“We recognize we must continue to listen, learn and help drive meaningful change in our organization, community and industry,” Nick Wodogaza, president/CEO of Palmetto Citizens, said. “This is why we joined the Collective, and look forward to working internally, as well as together with other credit unions and partners, to help advance the necessary work on diversity, equity and inclusion.”