Urban League of Greater Cleveland Welcomes Pulitzer Prize Award Winner

CLEVELAND (Dec. 11, 2023)– The Urban League of Greater Cleveland (Cleveland, OH) is excited to present Pulitzer Prize winner, Robert Samuels, author of His Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice as the keynote speaker at the Equal Opportunity Day Luncheon (EOD) on Wednesday, December 6th (11:30 am) at the Huntington Cleveland Convention Center.

“The EOD Luncheon is a showcase and celebration of how we enact our mission through services, programs, partnerships, collaborations, and community leadership,” said ULGC President & CEO Marsha A. Mockabee. “Returning to our first in-person luncheon post-COVID feels especially celebratory, which will also include some special community updates and announcements.”

The Urban League will be joined by National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial (via Zoom), Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, and members of Destination Cleveland to announce a major 2025 event that will have a substantial regional impact on the economy.

Mockabee said not only will the announcement be historical, but those at the luncheon will hear from a phenomenal author who will share very pertinent historical perspectives connected to George Floyd.

“We were hoping to depict a country in its fullness—in all its nuance, in its brilliance, in its tragedy,” said Samuels who authored the book with journalist Toluse Olorunnipa. “All of those things that were around George Floyd—the school system, the healthcare system, the education system, how wealth is passed down—had reverberating impacts on how Floyd viewed the world, and all of them contributed to why he was so afraid the moment the officer tapped on his window.”

"I think it's important to note that very little sustainable change has happened after the death of Mr. George Floyd," said ULGC Board Chair Kevin Clayton. "For a moment, this tragedy appeared to ignite the urgency to correct some of the wrongs that have plagued our nation for decades. Unfortunately, the murder of Mr. Floyd did not create the movement that we hoped for and are now seeing the same lack of concern for the rights of Black Americans, and we must fervently continue to fight every day."

To read the full press release, please see here.