08 October 2020
Data: Fortune 500, Axios analysis of company statements, get the data; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon, Naema Ahmed/Axios
JPMorgan Chase announced Thursday a $30 billion investment over the next five years that the company says will address some of the largest drivers of the massive wealth gap between Black and white Americans.
- The commitment makes the bank by far the largest monetary contributor to efforts by businessesto fight systemic inequality and racismin the U.S.
Why it matters: "JPMorgan essentially is setting an example of what to do," Andre Perry, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, told Axios.
- JPMorgan is the country's largest bank but more importantly CEO Jamie Dimon leads the Business Roundtable, a group of nearly 200 CEOs at America's largest corporations, Perry said.
- "If a fraction of the members of the Business Roundtable follow suit then you're talking about a more concrete effort than anything we've seen before."
Details: JPMorgan has earmarked $14 billion for new housing loans to Black and Latino borrowers plus...
- $8 billion to increase affordable housing and homeownership in underserved communities.
- $4 billion for mortgage refinancing.
- $2 billion for small business lending.
- $2 billion in philanthropic capital.
The bank also committed to increased hiring and investment in existing employees "to build a more equitable and representative workforce and hold executives accountable" as well as $50 million of deposits in minority-owned financial institutions.
- All of the programs are designed to drive "an inclusive economic recovery and support Black, Latinx and other underserved communities," the bank said.
Say it with your chest: "Systemic racism is a tragic part of America’s history," Dimon said in a statement.
- "We can do more and do better to break down systems that have propagated racism and widespread economic inequality, especially for Black and Latinx people. It's long past time that society addresses racial inequities in a more tangible, meaningful way.”
The big picture: The 100 largest American companies already had committed $3.33 billion since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May, which was the largest sum in history toward fighting racism and closing the racial wealth gap.
- JPMorgan increased that number tenfold with its announcement, bringing the total to $33.54 billion.
- The three largest contributors are all banks, with Citigroup and Bank of America also having committed to each provide more than $1 billion to the cause.
Capital One this week launched a similar program with a $200 million, five-year commitment on top of the $10 million it pledged in June.
- AT&T similarly announced a $10 million pledge to "Black and underserved communities" in addition to the $500,000 it committed in June.
What's next: "Certainly there is a precedent that’s being set," Dana Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board, tells Axios.
- "If you’re a corporation or especially a financial institution money is the easiest thing. But the hard thing is implementation, making sure that you’re actually having an effect. The execution is going to be very important."
By the numbers: JPMorgan's commitment amounts to about 16% of its 2019 profits for the next five years. The top 10 companies excluding JPMorgan committed an average of less than 2% of their 2019 profits.
- The other 48 companies committed around 0.1% of 2019 profits.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.