All In: The Work of the Urban League Movement
Our affiliates have seen the impact of COVID-19 firsthand. They helped families that lost income during the lockdowns, kept our kids’ heads up during virtual learning, and supported community members who lost loved ones to the virus.
Keeping us going in this pandemic has truly taken a village. Take a look at the fantastic work of the Urban League movement.
Akron Urban League
The Akron Urban League knows what it takes to go ALL-IN! In partnership with the Light Center Recovery, the Ohio Department of Health, and other community partners across Summit County, they hosted an exciting “Backpack + Vax” event that not only administered vaccination and booster shots for children and families but also gave away almost 600 free backpacks filled with goodies, including folders, notebooks, crayons, rulers, pencil pouches and more! The festival-like experience also provided free lunches, haircuts, and manicures to children K-8 and packed in the fun with a game truck, a 360 photo booth, and ice cream. Needless to say, the event was a huge success! To read more about the “Backpack + Vax” experience and the work and impact of the Akron Urban League, visit https://www.akronurbanleague.
Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City
The Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City recently joined forces with Dream Action Oklahoma. This local community organization promotes education and justice for immigrants to partner in outreach for COVID-19 vaccinations in the community. The partnership's goal was to serve Black and Brown individuals and provide them with the necessary resources and information to decide on and obtain their vaccinations. Both organizations were instrumental in educating over 2000 attendees in low-income Hispanic-populated areas through multiple events rooted in back-to-school and festival themes. Together, the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City and Dream Action Oklahoma successfully navigated language barriers to ensure no one was left behind or without. For more information on the work and impact of the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City, visit www.UrbanLeagueOK.org.
Greater Washington Urban League
In light of successful national efforts to encourage adults to get vaccinated and practice healthy behaviors to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL) recently held a very important town hall meeting entitled COVID-19 Protecting Our Children. Sponsored through their Trusted Voices campaign, the hour-long panel event focused on ways to protect our children and youth, the adults with whom they interact, and ultimately the community. The session featured Dr. Yolandra Hancock Pediatrician and public health expert; Dr. Bren Elliott, Ed. D., Chief, School Improvement and Supports and Social Emotional Academic Development, DC Public Schools; and Dr. Sandra Lawson, Chair, Vice Chair Advocacy Committee, and the Trusted Voices Campaign, GWUL. Over 1,000 listeners were available to hear the panel and ask questions through a platform administered and operated by National Urban League consultant GOTvax. For more information on the work and impact of the Greater Washington Urban League, visit www.GWUL.org.
Urban League of Greater Hartford
The Urban League of Greater Hartford launched its “WE’RE ALL IN” campaign with a special event to help inform communities of color about the coronavirus vaccine and encourage community members to consider vaccination as a solution to help REBUILD, RESTORE, REINVEST AND REOPEN the region. With national partners, the National Urban League, the CDC, Merck, and local partners like the City of Harford, St. Francis Hospital, Wheeler Clinic, SWIFT Factory, SBDC, and the North Hartford Revitalization Zone, the event featured a diaper drive, baby product giveaway, a Black business showcase, and of course, free COVID testing and vaccinations. Thanks to sponsors Webster Bank, St. Francis Hospital, CT Department of Public Health, United Way, and Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, the almost 200 participants were able to gather in the League’s parking lot at 140 Woodland St. in the Asylum Hill neighborhood of Hartford to do their part in getting kids back to school, adults back to work and companies back to business! For more information on the work and impact of the Urban League of Greater Hartford, visit www.ulgh.org.
Mississippi Urban League
Since its inception, the Mississippi Urban League has made it its mission to elevate the standard of living for those Mississippians existing in historically underserved communities. They have always worked hard to create sustainable pathways to health equity, improved educational outcomes, and economic empowerment by any means necessary. Recently, they went ALL IN and leveraged the power of media to launch a sobering public service announcement (PSA) titled “Covid Doesn’t Care About You” that offered a convincing perspective on why it is still necessary for people to get vaccinated. As a result, they were awarded 2nd Place for “Best PSA” from the Mississippi Broadcasting Association for its compelling message! Watch it on their website or their Facebook page. For more information on the work and impact of the Mississippi Urban League, visit www.msul.org.
Knoxville Area Urban League
Over the last two years, the Knoxville Area Urban League, also known as The KAUL, has done amazing work in the fight against COVID-19. Their continuous effort to show up for their community is why they were one of six chapters across the country chosen to activate Community Health Navigators. The KAUL selected 11 navigators, who recently trained with the Get Out The Vaccine, or #GOTVax, initiative and have already hit the ground running by talking with residents across East Tennessee to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations and, in turn, make their community stronger and healthier. For more details, visit https://www.thekaul.org.
The Urban League of Greater Kansas City
The Urban League of Greater Kansas City is unstoppable! On January 12, 2022, they hosted a special vaccination event at Gloria Willis Middle School where they administered 190 pediatric vaccinations. In partnership with the City of Kansas City, Missouri Health Department, Heart to Heart International, the Black Health Care Coalition, Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, University Health, Vibrant Health, the Wyandotte County Health Department, the Kansas City Royals, the Center School District, Kansas City Public Schools, and Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, the Urban League of Greater Kansas City was able to provide food trucks, valuable resources and two tickets to a Kansas City Royals game for each child. In January and February alone, they also helped to administer over 1,300 vaccines in underserved communities, and several more vaccine clinics are already in the works for the upcoming months. For more details, visit https://www.ulkc.org/.
Urban League Lorain County
On February 18, Leadership Lorain County hosted their “2022 Difference Makers Gala” and honored Urban League Lorain County with the esteemed Excellence in Leadership Award for their outstanding work and community activism. Not only was the organization celebrated, affiliate President/CEO Parris Smith was also honored with the Emerald Award for Inspirational Leadership. Deemed “a beacon of hope and a catalyst for change” by Leadership Lorain County, the Urban League could not be prouder of President Smith and her affiliate team for their continuous effort to mobilize communities hardest hit by the coronavirus as well as their strides to remove equality gaps in education, housing, workforce development, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, advocacy and health. Read more about the honors on The Chronicle and The Morning Journal. For more information on Urban League Lorain County, visit http://www.lcul.org/.
Columbus Urban League
The “Fresh Step into 2022 Family Vaccine Clinic” hosted by the Columbus Urban League on Saturday, January 8, was a huge success! In partnership with Equitas Health, Franklin County Public Health, Shea Moisture and the National Urban League the clinic provided 116 community members (including 22 children) with first, second or booster doses of Covid-19 vaccinations. Attendees were given bags filled with sanitizing wipes, PPE, Shea Moisture hair care products, and a coupon for a free $50 hair care consultation appointment with a local barber. Children also received fun educational prizes and superhero pictures to celebrate their vaccination status. Overall, the experience proved the Columbus Urban League’s dedication to vaccine equity and creating spaces for our community to get protected against Covid-19! For more information, visit www.cul.org.
The Philadelphia Urban League
#AllInAgainstCOVID. The Urban League of Philadelphia was ALL IN this holiday season and doing their part to protect our communities against COVID-19! On Saturday, December 18, from 11-3pm, they hosted an exciting “Fresh & Vaxxed” event at the Universal Audenreid Charter High School. Featuring free haircuts and hairstyling, toy giveaways, a vaccination clinic, SheaMoisture products, and so much more, this festive experience was the perfect kick-off to Christmas and ensured that families were prepared to spend the holidays together, safely. CLICK HERE to check out a special video recap of the event!
The Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio
Since the start of the pandemic, the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio has been committed to ensuring the Black community has access to accurate information about COVID-19 and equitable access to testing and vaccination. At our building located in Cincinnati, Ohio we offer weekly COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. Our weekly COVID-19 testing is in partnership with The Health Collaborative and their regional effort known as Test and Project. Since launching in November 2020 we’ve provided over 1,500 tests. In April 2021 we launched our weekly vaccination site on Sundays from 11 am-2 pm, this is a partnership with the State of Ohio and The HealthCare Connection. We’ve been able to provide over 500 vaccinations to the community. Last week we started to provide the booster. Our goal with our COVID-19 efforts is to ensure we are providing accurate information and consistent access to vital services like testing and the vaccine.