A voice that rings out clear and strong! An eloquence in the words she utters as she stands for social justice! A heartfelt honoring of the women on whose shoulders she stands! An unflagging energy to support, strive and advocate for black women and girls in all their endeavors and trials!
Meet Gwenette Reese, new President of the Bergen-Passaic Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Read her words from her President’s welcome:
The guiding principle for this Chapter remains to bring about change in the areas outlined in our mission— by advocating for Black Women and girls and promoting leadership development and gender equity in health, education, and economic empowerment.
Gwenette is just the person to achieve all she aspires to! The child of parents born in St. Thomas, V.I., Gwenette was born in the Bronx, NY, and later returned to St. Thomas with her mother, where she attended kindergarten.
At the end of that year, the late 1960’s, she and her mother returned to the South Bronx where she entered the NYC public school system. Initially she went to Fashion Industry High School, but by senior year her interests had shifted to finance, so she transferred to John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx.
Her mother had put herself through nursing school and served as a registered nurse for 40 years. Gwenette’s first role model, her mother instilled core values in her children: work hard, go to school, be able to provide for your family. Her second role model was her future husband’s mother – neighbors in their South Bronx apartment house; his mother was a homemaker with the same strong values as her family.
Eager to hone her financial skills and begin working, Gwenette attended Royal Business Institute in New York, NY to obtain her associate degree. It was there she was first introduced to banking – which she discovered was where her heart was. She began her career at Chemical Bank in NY and completed her bachelor’s degree at St. Francis College in Brooklyn.
Gwenette, her husband and their three children moved to Long Island, where she began working for Greenpoint Savings Bank. They found that Long Island’s property taxes were too high, so following her mother’s path, Gwenette and her husband moved to Teaneck in 1992 because the property taxes were lower! Gwenette smiled when she acknowledged that people are always stunned when she says she moved to Teaneck for lower taxes!
In 1985, Gwenette began a career growth that others could only envy. Her position at Greenpoint ended quite suddenly when the bank announced it was moving to North Carolina. “I made a decision. I had to drive my own career. I decided I would stay in a job for only 2 years, even if I loved it. Then I would stop and reassess. I might stay with the company, but I would progress every two years.”
Gwenette applied to ten banks – all of them interested in her. She chose PNC – the institution that offered her the lowest salary (!) – because they were flexible, trustworthy, and ethical.
At PNC, her career advanced by leaps and bounds – every two years!! From Personal Banking Advisor to Licensed Financial Consultant to Business Banking to Senior Business Banking to Vice President!
It is worth pausing here to recognize that the banking industry has not always been welcoming to minorities. Gwenette’s success in such a tough environment is attributed to her skills, drive, and energy. She would say that her success was also attributed to Susan Cohen, her manager at PNC – another whose shoulders she stood on.
“I faced racism my entire career. Susan saw something in me that others didn’t see, and she pulled it out of me and pushed me. I was able to be successful – we both were -- at PNC.”
But Racism and Sexism stepped in. Suddenly, the higher-ups started challenging Susan on her beliefs. She was solidly grounded in what she believed – as was I. It was time for Gwenette to end her 15 year career with PNC.
Unlike earlier in her career, in 2008, Gwenette jumped right into her next position – at Wells Fargo Bank. With over 30 years of knowledge in banking, Gwenette began to see violations of ethics, trust, and law. “It was awful what they were doing against the client.” When she challenged the higher-ups, they told her “This is the way we do things around here.” Having come from a highly ethical banking environment, she countered, “Banking regulations don’t change!”
Having tried to blow the whistle internally, Gwenette left Wells Fargo.
Gwenette’s concerns became public knowledge when the press revealed the corrupt and fraudulent practices of Wells Fargo: As the New York Times reported, “the bank steers African Americans and Hispanics into high-cost subprime loans.” As well, the credit card division was found to be ordering and using credit cards for unknowing clients and the Insurance division was issuing unwanted insurance policies.
It was 2008, and Gwenette was feeling discouraged by systematic injustices.
But her faith was – and is -- strong, buoyed up by her pastor Dr. Calvin O. Butts III and fellow congregants at the legendary Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem where she currently serves as Deacon. “Our church is about Social Justice. We are here for a reason – to help make a difference. When you do right, the rewards come.”
After months of self-assessment, Gwenette concluded that banking would no longer serve as her career path.
But then fortune smiled on her – giving her two more powerful shoulders on which to stand! Senator Loretta Weinberg and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women!
In 2006, Gwenette joined the Bergen-Passaic Chapter of the NCBW - a life changing experience for her. She was inspired to join by a close friend Beverly Baker Jackson, Esq. She saw in its mission what she had been doing all her life. She continued to serve as an NCBW member in numerous leadership roles and was always inspired and encouraged by life time member Toni Faye.
At the same time, “A wonderful window opened for me! I began working for Assemblyman Gordon Johnson and Senator Loretta Weinberg leading special projects and assigned as Outreach Coordinator.” The first thing on the Senator’s agenda when Gwenette started, was Women’s
Equal Pay!
“I told the Senator, ‘The NCBW wants to be part of this history-making because we have been advocating for gender equality for a long time.’ She embraced it! That bill was the first piece of legislation Governor Murphy signed. And I was able to bring an entourage of NCBW members with me to witness it!”
“I now continue my work with Senator Gordon Johnson who, with me, stands on the powerful shoulders of Loretta Weinberg.”
Gwenette’s thoughts as we concluded our interview:
“One of the things I believe as a Black Woman is the conviction that we must carry the torch. The torch represents the flame and passion we carry in our souls. As President of NCBW, I do that, I’m here – I’m going to be the voice of women and I am going to pass the torch.
“I see all the acronyms in Teaneck (e.g., TDMC, NETBPA, TWT, TV, OTOV). I don’t know what it’s going to take to get all of us to work together. But we must learn to do so!”
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