 JUNE 11 • 2020 | 37

who have endured the pain 
and suffering of bigotry. As 
a company, and as citizens 
of our community, we unite 
together in rejecting all forms 
of bias, racism and violence 
in our workplace and in our 
communities. We will meet 
this challenge with more than 
words. We will accelerate our 
unconscious bias training 
throughout our company to 
ensure we all have the tools to 
identify and respond to injus-
tice. TCF Bank is blessed with 
outstanding African American 
teammates up and down our 
ranks. We will provide spaces 
to talk openly about racial 
equality and give a voice to 
team members who feel mar-
ginalized.
In the cities and towns where 
we serve, especially in our 
beloved hometown of Detroit, 
our bank will continue to cham-

pion causes supporting social 
justice in partnership with the 
community and ecumenical 
leaders. We will double down 
on our personal and purpose-
ful engagement with our cities 
and neighborhoods, especially 
where peaceful protests were 
interrupted by agitators seeking 
unrest and destruction.
Corporations can and must 
play a leading role in eradicat-
ing bias and discrimination, 
along with racial and economic 
inequality. We proudly heeded 
the call of Mayor Mike Duggan 
to not only invest $5 million in 
Detroit’
s neighborhoods but to 
partner with six other great cor-
porations to do the same. Fifth 
Third Bank, Flagstar Bank, 
Huntington Bank, Blue Cross 
Blue Shield of Michigan, Penske 
Corporation, and American 
Axle together donated more 
than $35 million to a fund that 

supports the improvement of 
infrastructure, parks, business 
corridors and affordable hous-
ing initiatives with direct input 
from residents who live in the 
neighborhoods.
But it’
s not enough. Our bank 
must and will do more. For all 
its exceptionalism, America is 
a nation founded on the Bill 
of Rights but is still plagued by 
what W
.E.B. DuBois called “the 
color line.
” As Rev. Anthony 
likes to remind me, “Every citi-
zen has a stake in this reality.
”
We accept this challenge in 
the name of George Floyd.
We accept this challenge in 
the name of Michael Brown.
We accept this challenge in 
the name of Amaud Arbery.
We accept this challenge in 
the name of Breonna Taylor.
We accept this challenge in 
the name of every victim of 
institutionalized racism. We 

stand with you in the pursuit of 
justice.
Together, we will endeavor 
to consign the color line to the 
ash heap of history. For all its 
faults, America is a community 
of great people ever striving to 
be better — and to form a more 
perfect union. We will rise to 
the challenge together. 

This letter, originally sent to 
TCF employees, led to a news 
conference last week with Detroit 
Mayor Mike Duggan and nine 
leaders of the region’
s biggest 
companies, focusing on how the 
business community can combat 
racism.

Gary Torgow is executive chairman of 
TCF Financial Corp. He is senior vice 
president of the Orthodox Union and 
the board president of Yeshiva Beth 
Yehudah. Reprinted with permission 
from the Michigan Chronicle.

o 

o 

B I R M I N G H A M

Member FDIC

Now, more than ever, 
we’re here to help.

