To Be Equal is a syndicated weekly opinion column distributed by the National Urban League to news outlets across the nation since 1963, when it was started as “the Voice of Black America” by National Urban League President, Whitney M. Young, Jr.

To receive the ReMARCs weekly e-newsletter featuring To Be Equal in your inbox,
please Sign Up Here

National Urban League
Fri, 05 Jan 2024 - 12:56pm

Haley's Hypocritical Embrace Of “Lost Cause” Ideology Shows She Is Eager To Defend White Supremacy

“The Lost Cause mythology was more than bad history. It provided the intellectual justification for Jim Crow — not just in the former Confederacy, but everywhere systemic racism denied Black citizens equal citizenship and economic rights ...

Learn More


National Urban League
Sun, 24 Dec 2023 - 8:27pm

Hate Speech Has No Place On College Campuses Or Anywhere Else 

“Addressing hate speech does not mean limiting or prohibiting freedom of speech. It means keeping hate speech from escalating into something more dangerous, particularly incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, which is prohibited under international law.” -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

Learn More


National Urban League
Fri, 08 Dec 2023 - 8:51am

The Comeback Of An Iconic Beauty Brand

"Having the confidence we need as Black women to get out there every day is not easy. Doors are opening, I’m happy about that, but once we get in that door, it’s still not easy. Any little edge I can get, if it’s my Nuditude lipstick, I’m happy to have that edge that makes me feel comfortable to be able to do a presentation that I have to do and to get people to support the two brands and the communities that I represent." -- Desiree Rogers

Learn More


National Urban League
Fri, 24 Nov 2023 - 1:32pm

Federal Appeals Court Decision On Voting Rights Act “Intellectually Bankrupt”

“Why does it matter if the Voting Rights Act is enforceable by private plaintiffs? If the panel’s conclusion is upheld by the Supreme Court, then Section 2 effectively becomes a light switch."

Learn More


National Urban League
Fri, 10 Nov 2023 - 11:17am

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's Efforts To End The Racial Gap Earn Him National Urban League President's Award

Racial inequality has cost the American economy $16 trillion over the last two decades, and it’s projected to cost another $1 trillion over the next 10 years. 

Learn More


National Urban League
Thu, 26 Oct 2023 - 3:43pm

Americans Overwhelmingly Support Corporate Diversity Initiatives

In the unfolding aftermath of the Supreme Court’s pivotal decision on affirmative action, our country stands at a crossroads. It’s a juncture where the corporate world has the power, and I’d argue, the responsibility, to reshape our understanding of diversity and inclusion..."

Learn More


National Urban League
Fri, 29 Sep 2023 - 2:30pm

Political Posturing Over Funding The Government Overshadows Potentially Devastating Human Cost 

“A government shutdown means that people who are doing critical work that is about upholding the structures of our government and all that we rely on in terms of those services could shut down."

Learn More


National Urban League
Thu, 21 Sep 2023 - 1:46pm

U.S. Open Champ And Phenom Coco Gauff Represents A New Era Of American Tennis

“If you can think it, you can do it. If you can dream it, you can do it. Just keep working hard. It won't come easy and it will seem impossible but if you keep working hard it will definitely happen.” - Coco Gauff 

Learn More


National Urban League
Fri, 08 Sep 2023 - 1:57pm

Wealthy Extremists Attacking Funding For Black Women Entrepreneurs Are Desperate To Preserve Systemic Inequality

“In the face of persistent, systemic discrimination against Black people and all people of color arising from our country’s long history of racism, Ed Blum and his recently-created front group are bent on dismantling programs benefiting the Black community. They seek to kneecap any effort to undo entrenched racial inequalities and further cement the status quo of inequitable market access.” -- Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director of Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. 

Learn More


National Urban League
Fri, 25 Aug 2023 - 12:05pm

60th Anniversary Of The March On Washington Celebrates Racial Unity & Collective Resistance To Extremism

“It is not merely sympathy and compassion for the Black people of America that motivates us. It is above all and beyond all such sympathies and emotions a sense of complete identification and solidarity born of our own painful historic experience. … bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.” – Rabbi Joachim Prinz, March on Washington, 1963 

Learn More