Sauntore Thomas entered the Livonia TCF Bank feeling victorious – he was there to deposit settlement money he’d been awarded after suing his employers for racial discrimination!
Or so he thought. When Thomas tried depositing the check TCF not only denied him – they called the cops!
Allegedly TCF's system read the checks as “fraudulent.” But when TCF and the cops wouldn’t listen to Thomas’s lawyer, he knew what was up!
Thomas stated, “They discriminated against me because I'm Black. None of this would have happened if I were white."
America’s banking system is historically racist. Throughout enslavement banks approved loans that funded plantations, accepted deposits from enslavers, and counted those enslaved as “assets” when assessing a client's wealth.
In 2005 banks like JP Morgan Chase, Citizens' Bank, and Canal Bank were exposed for historically accepting enslaved people as collateral for unpaid loans!
After emancipation banks used “redlining” to deny mortgages to Black families. This directly impacted the racial wealth gap we see in America.
3 out of 4 neighborhoods “redlined” 80 years ago CONTINUE to struggle economically today.
Thomas is suing TCF! The racism he experienced reminds us white supremacy strategically works to gate-keep wealth, because capitalism never intended for us to get ahead. Like Thomas, we must call out injustices and never accept discriminatory practices.