Opportunity isn’t a Thing of the Past – Shaw, MS

R. L. Barrett remembers when Shaw, Mississippi, was a bustling center of activity, its streets lined with grocery stores, clothing shops, a movie theater, and blues clubs showcasing the Delta’s original music.

“We don’t have any industry in Shaw now,” Barrett says, pointing to the shuttered storefronts. “They tell me to keep the barbershop open all the time so this town won’t look like it’s closed down.”

As Shaw’s businesses began dying, hope in the town seemed to die along with them. When the doors of the town’s only bank closed, Shaw residents had no place where they could save for the future, cash a check or even get change. It appeared the final blow had fallen upon the once vibrant, now fast-fading community. Then, Hope Credit Union opened in Shaw.

“Hope Credit Union saved us,” Barrett says. “It’s really helped the town better than anything we have had here in the last 10 or 15 years.

“It seems like everybody just wants to come consume, they don’t want to give anything. But HOPE has really embraced these people, and they try to work for the best of the community. That’s why I’m a member of HOPE.”

Hope Credit Union did more than just bring financial services to Shaw. With HOPE came renewed optimism and the promise of a brighter future.

“Like a preacher told me, there’s hope for the hopeless,” Barrett says with a smile. “So I like that name, Hope.”