Black-owned community banks have a long history of serving Americans historically left out of the mainstream banking system. Many well-established community banks continue this legacy today, but one troubling trend has emerged in the past two decades.

While community banks have again proven their importance to local communities as Paycheck Protection Program leaders, public banking proponents in some states and municipalities threaten to undermine this system and its benefits to consumers.

Last year I flew to Little Rock, Ark. to participate in the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program and found it to be a meaningful and constructive use of my time. But this year’s virtual forum raised the bar to a whole new level and allowed me to bring my entire team into the process — something we were all excited about.