Houston's Unity National Bank is opening their first branch in Atlanta and the expansion was made possible in part by black economic activism, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Black owned banks were hit hard during the recession, and many had to close. Unity National Bank was able to survive in part because Houston's housing market didn't see the sorts of activity the market in other cities saw.

Because of its luck, Unity is now the only black-owned bank in Houston, Texas. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, it was the top performing black-owned bank between 2015-2017. It is believed that there are fewer than 30 black-owned banks across the country.

Although Unity was surviving, it wasn't thriving. Not until 2016, when after the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and other black unarmed men, the #BankBlack movement was birthed. The movement hoped to invest millions into black-owned banks, and for those banks to reinvest that money in the black community through civic engagement and small business loans. 

During a town hall meeting that aired on MTV and BET, the movement got a hug boost when rapper Killer Mike called for 1 million African-Americans to deposit $100 in black-owned banks. After that town hall aired, Unity leaders said that over 350 people lined up to open new accounts.

It was those accounts that helped Unity to expand to a city it always wanted to be in: Atlanta.

And Unity received a warm welcome in the city this week. Mayor Keisha Bottoms, Representative John Lewis (D-GA) and more than 500 others attended Unity Atlanta's opening ceremonies.  

“They’re excited about their bank going to Atlanta, and everyone wants pride of ownership, and our customers own the bank with us," Tommy Brooks, the bank’s CFO said. 

Unity National Bank