The number of Black banks in the United States has been steadily slipping for 20 years. But the organizers of a proposed new bank in Columbus, Ohio, which features a predominantly African American board of directors, just might change the narrative. If the charter application is approved by state and federal regulators — and the organizers are able to raise at least $20 million in capital — Adelphi Bank would be the only Black bank in Ohio and one of just 21 Black-owned or Black-led banks across the country. Adelphi is also in line to be the first bank owned or led by African Americans to open since George Floyd’s May 2020 murder, which renewed calls to address and eliminate the racial wealth gap in the United States. The initiative to open Adelphi Bank — which takes its name from a Black-owned savings and loan company that once occupied the same area where the bank’s headquarters branch would be located — is part of a growing effort to increase Black Americans’ access to capital.