July 30, National Whistleblowers Appreciation Day, is the publishing date for Community Capital, Race, Equity and the Credit Union Movement.
Here is a brief excerpt by Clifford Rosenthal, one of the authors. The book’s principal case study is in Part Two. It is the story of Kappa Alpha Psi FCU and its abrupt liquidation in 2010 as recounted by one of the participants, and co-author, Michael McCray
From The Historical Context, page 20, by Clifford Rosenthal (used with permission):
On August 3, 2010, without notice, NCUA seized and liquidated KAPFCU, sending out checks to close member depositors accounts. KAPFCU was effectively dead and gone.
Why was KAPFCU’s case so important? For decades before and since, a steady stream of liquidations and mergers decimated the ranks of Black and other credit unions serving communities of color. Our Federation lost many small credit unions, painfully including many Black credit unions with roots in the Civil Rights movement and even earlier.
But KAPFCU did what no credit union in our movement had dared to do during my 30 years at the Federation: they fought the liquidation in federal court.
KAPFCU’s fate could have been—should have been—different. Had KAPFCU prevailed in court, Michael argued, KAPFCU v. NCUA could have been the landmark Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education case for the credit union movement.
On Vacation
Next week I will be away at a singing camp working on Ralph Vaughn Williams’ A Sea Symphony and Five Mystical Songs. Upon returning, I will post a number of key moments from the book to illustrate both the content and the style. It is a glimpse into NCUA actions long before the letters DEI were aligned together.
In the meantime it can be ordered on Amazon for those who can’t wait.