Meet the Only Black Woman in the U.S. Who Owns Her Own Bank
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Posted By: Roger Gates on June 08, 2020 Meet Kiko Davis, the majority owner and stockholder of Detroit-based First Independence Bank, one of the top 10 largest Black-owned banks in the United States. This makes her the only Black woman in the country who owns a bank. During a 2018 interview with Rolling Out, she said that what makes her unique as an African American female leader is her ability to genuinely connect with people and inspire a culture of synergy. "It’s a God-given talent that comes naturally," she said. "People tend to lend the very best of themselves when they feel leaders are passionate about them and their environment." Her inspiration Kiko says that she is greatly inspired by Shirley Chisolm, the first Black congresswoman and the first major-party Black candidate to run for president in 1972. She says her favorite quote by Chisolm is, “In the end, anti-Black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing: anti-humanism.” She is also inspired by her late husband, Donald Davis. After his untimely death, she created a foundation in his name to perpetuate his legacy-building efforts and initiatives that he envisioned and developed. How to win Kiko says that taking risks is very important if you want to become successful. "Without risk," she says, "there can be no reward... Your mistakes will bring invaluable knowledge that will ultimately become your strategy for winning." She also strongly believes in maintaining a positive attitude and attributes her success to prayer, eating healthy, and exercising. For more details about First Independence Bank and/or to open an account, visit www.firstindependence.com Article courtesy of https://www.blackbusiness.com If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Roger Gates
Founder & CEO, Motivo Spec Hampton University class of 1995 Member Since June 1999 |
Comments
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This really gets my juices going. We should have so many more "Black Banks", male or female owned. I tried as hard as I could to build knowledge about the unbanked, financial literacy, the community reinvestment act, and cdfi's, to serve our underserved populations and neighborhoods during the early 2000s. The main missing ingredient was human resources (volunteers) committed to serving and learning what was needed to own our own bank. No one had the reputation or integrity to do it. Ms. Davis needs to be cloned. She is right, you have to take risk. No we don't know everything about banking but there are people who are trailblazers and willing to help. We must network, we must find those willing souls. I would love to meet with her and just be the presence of someone that truly understands that where there is a need in our community that is the seed we must plant and nurture into ownership, that is the equity we have. All the hard work of people that has gone before us. The spirit and faith that has been given to us in so many ways, such as the black church, athletes, entertainers, etc. Not everyone needs to get all this education just to work for someone or become a teller in a bank. We should be getting our education to own our communities. I love what you have done Ms. Davis. I know that one does not reach this level simply because they want to make a name for them self, but to serve others. Thank you Will Moss for sharing this article here at HBCU Connect. We have the network right here to do whatever we want, and everything that we need to do to elevate ourselves and community.
Friday, January 8th 2021 at 2:02AM |
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Shykeria Lifleur
Congratulations to this incredible trailblazer, Kiko Davis, on such a powerful achievement! Thanks Will for spotlighting her business and sharing this inspiring story. We truly appreciate yall!
31 Million Views Influencer I HR Specialist | Greeting Card Entrepreneur at Simply Shykeria Tuesday, January 27th 2026 at 4:25PM |
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