Sign Up for Public Banking Learning Circle Beginning August 27!

Tired of economic mansplaining? Join a six-session learning circle for women about public banking beginning August 27.

By Marybeth Gardam
Chair, Women, Money & Democracy Committee

August 2021

Get informed and prepared to be an effective advocate right in your own community! Sign up for a PUBLIC BANKING LEARNING CIRCLE series of webinar workshops starting on Friday, August 27 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT.

When we talk about moving the money from war and profiteering to people-centered services, public banking makes great sense. And legislation to kick-start public banking is picking up speed in states and cities across the US. The time is right to understand the benefits and learn where your state is in the process, so you can become an effective advocate for public banking near you.

The WILPF US Women, Money & Democracy Committee is collaborating to sponsor these hands-on organizing workshops with our partner An Economy of Our Own. Facilitated by expert public banking organizer Susan Harman from California, we’ll also be learning how to talk persuasively about public banking without a vast financial background of knowledge. And we’ll be working on avoiding being mansplained and derailed by jargon.

Don’t worry if you’re “starting from scratch” – these webinars are designed just for you and will help to build your knowledge base and advocacy skills. We are planning on six sessions, but our programming and schedule will be responsive to the needs of our participants. Register for this series here.

What’s the Big Deal?

Public banking allows cities, states, and communities to invest locally without depending on the big bad transnational Wall Street banks and investment houses. That means they can invest their pension funds and all public income (including parking tickets and fees for services) in local projects that keep those public funds invested in their own communities, not in far-flung projects that most of us don’t support. This has the potential to save cities and states millions of dollars annually and deprive profiteers of the capital they need to pursue profits over people and planet.

Those Wall Street banks and investment houses are the same folks who fund weapons manufacturers and weapons dealers, private corporations supplying security teams (mercenaries), mining and fossil fuel corporate investments and expansions, and all the other extractive me-first polluters and profiteers our feminist peace vision rejects.   

Big Bucks Stay Where They Do the Most Good

Pamela Powers Hannley of Tucson, AZ, learned through an annual uniform accounting system required by the US federal government for states and cities that in 2014 her state was sending $312 million to Wall Street banks for interest alone on their public investments, without even including management fees. (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report – CAFR – is public information available for YOUR state too! Google it!) The eagle-eyed Pamela realized that the same year the state school system had taken the Arizona state government to court for a failure to fully fund public education by a whopping $300 million, roughly the same amount was being paid out in interest to Wall Street banks!

It didn’t take her long to become an advocate for public banking to keep those fees (and the financial management jobs) in Arizona and away from Wall Street. Arizona is just one state paying over $300 million in bank interest fees. Think how much money we’d save if there were state banks that handled public investments in every state. Talk about moving the money!

You can learn more and become savvy enough to talk to others and reach out for public banking support!

Sign up for the PUBLIC BANKING LEARNING CIRCLE Webinar Series and work with other WILPF members and activists around the country who will be learning along with you.

Questions? Please email the W$D Committee at: publicbanking.wilpfus@gmail.com.