Incorporated by congress on march 3 1865 the freedmans bank was created to spur Economic Development of the emancipated African American population in the postcivil war era. Despite significant financial contributions, the bank failed in 1874, leaving tens of thousands of depositors in financial ruin. Up next, a panel of civil rights and Business Leaders discusses the issue of black poverty in america 150 years after the creation of the freedmans bank. This event from the National Archives is about two hours. Host the first guest on our panel is miss donna o wins owens. An awardwinning journalist who served as an editor for outlets nationwide, she contributes to essence magazine. Magazine. Her byline has appeared in many places. Please give another hand for donna owens. [applause] our next guest is from the office of the comptroller where he leads a department of Community Development located in washington d. C. Related to a staff responsible for outreach to bags and Community Partners