Many on the left refuse to take personal responsibility for their problems. Instead, they would rather find something else to focus on as a scapegoat.

For example, Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists are now blaming banks for their problems. Specifically, they’re accusing people who use banks not owned by black people of funding white supremacy. They claim the organizations take people’s money and use it to support oppressive institutions. Because of this, they’re demanding that people put their money in “black-owned banks.”

Earlier this week, during a Facebook Live panel discussion earlier this week that was sponsored by OneUnited Bank, Dr. Melina Abdullah, a California State University professor who is also a founding member of BLM, told viewers, “If you’re not going to bank black, you are funding white supremacy,” adding, “we have to think about what our institutions are doing for us.” According to her, “Wells Fargo and Citibank…[are] putting the dollars that [customers] give them in the institutions that keep [black people] oppressed.”

The right thing to do, she argued, was for her supporters to move their money to OneUnited Bank. “We’re going to put our dollars with OneUnited because we know OneUnited is going to help us develop a reparations fund for our people,” explained Abdullah, noting, “we know OneUnited is going to help fund the movements that are going to help us get free.”

On Twitter, she added, “I’m down w dismantling capitalism. Until then, can we move our money outta the banks that finance our oppression? #BankBlack @oneunited.”

I'm down w dismantling capitalism. Until then, can we move our money outta the banks that finance our oppression? #BankBlack @oneunited — Melina Abdullah (@DocMellyMel) June 13, 2017

Teri Williams, the President of OneUnited, told reporters that giving money to her bank will help the black community. “Social and economic justice are intertwined, and we have the power within ourselves to take some important, positive steps towards addressing some of our challenges,” she claimed, adding, “we spend $1.2 trillion, and if we could redirect some of that spending towards supporting some of our organizations and our business, we can grow jobs and we can help movements like Black Lives Matter in giving them the resources that they need in order to be successful.”

OneUnited’s partnership with BLM started in December 2016 when the bank’s controversial CEO, Kevin L. Cohee, met with Abdullah and other activists from Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles (BLM-LA). Several months later, the bank launched a promotional BLM card for Black History Month. “[We hope that] every time everyone pulls out their card, they think about how they’re spending their money, how purposefully we can spend our money,” noted Williams. “And also … when I hand [the BLM card] to someone, I’m saying to them that black lives do matter, that black money does matter and that we are an important consumer,” she continued.

The next month, they partnered with BLM to establish a $10,000 trust fund for the son of Wakeisha Wilson, a woman who died in jail after she was found hanging from her cell. “The establishment of this gift, on the one year anniversary of Ms. Wilson’s passing, is another way in which the organizations are working together,” claimed the bank in a statement at the time.

However, moving money over to OneUnited may not be such a wise decision, especially for low-income people. Several years ago, they received a cease and desist order due to “unsafe or unsound banking practices and violations of law.” Specifically, they were accused of “excessive executive compensation, weaknesses in loan underwriting, and speculative investment practices.” Because of this, those who move to OneUnited may be putting their money at risk.

Unfortunately, in reality, Abdullah’s claims of “white supremacy” and calls to “bank-black” do nothing but further divide people based on race. If BLM activists truly believe banks are engaging in questionable behavior, rather than segregate, they should push to have the institutions reformed.