FEATURE
THUNDER
&
ENLIGHTENING
ONEUNITED BANK'S CONTROVERSIAL MURAL
FORESHADOWS THE #BANKBLACK
MOVEMENT: 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
In the summer of 2015, OneUnited Bank unveiled
its revolutionary 550 square foot mural Thunder &
Enlightening on the façade of the Bank's historic
Miami branch. The emotionally charged work of art
by internationally acclaimed, Miami based muralist
Addonis Parker, directly confronts issues and events
facing the Black community: racism, bigotry, violence,
protest, the massacre in South Carolina, Trayvon
Martin, Michael Brownand first responders.
Thunder & Enlightening also foreshadowed future
events, namely the backlash against the multiple
racially charged shootings of Black people by law
enforcement which spawned a national
phenomenon – the #BankBlack Movement. In 2016,
issues of racism, bigotry and violence came front and
centre America's consciousness. In turn, millions of
Black people, galvanised via social media, text and
word of mouth, began answering the call for a
collective show of force by moving their money from
traditional banks to Black owned banks. The social
justice based #BankBlack movement intensified
when Rapper Killer Mike implored the Black
community not to incite more violence but to
demonstrate the power of its $1.2 trillion annual
spending by supporting Black banks and other Black
owned businesses.
"We're excited that the 'seed' planted by the mural
grew into the #BankBlack and #BuyBlack movement,"
says Teri Williams, President & COO of OneUnited
Bank. "Our community is not only moving money, but
also 'moving their minds' by directly confronting the
discredited adage that 'their ice is colder' or that Black
businesses are inherently 'less than.' We now are
focusing on collective economics and community wealth
building."
The 2015 OneUnited Mural Project (Th