Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

The National Urban League has spent more than a century fighting for economic opportunity. We know that access to capital changes lives.

A mortgage can help a family build generational wealth. A small business loan can turn a dream into a thriving enterprise. Fair and affordable credit can determine whether someone purchases their first home, expands a business, pays for an education, or weathers a financial emergency.

But for much of American history, those opportunities were deliberately denied to Black Americans, women, and other groups through discriminatory lending practices. It took decades of determined struggle to tear down those barriers and enact protections that required lenders to judge applicants on their qualifications rather than the color of their skin, their gender, or their ZIP code.

Now the Trump Administration is trying to undo that progress.

NEW YORK ( October 29, 2026) -- The National Urban League and the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations today filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s efforts to undermine equal access to credit.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

"Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society." - John Lewis

Racism in America is a virus that eats at our moral foundation and breaks down our institutions from the inside out – including our political system. 

Nearly two years into this new administration, Black Americans have been targeted by an executive order that stripped hundreds of thousands of hard-working public servants of their jobs and created hostile work environments for all of us. We’ve been denied promotions in the military, had our positions of power threatened by the President himself, and had the voting rights many of us died for in the 1960s gutted by federal courts packed with loyalists. 

But like any other virus that tries to overtake us, we build our defenses and fight back.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
— Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2

Many know this line as a metaphor for the weight of leadership in the face of adversity.

Despite the efforts of the White House and its devoted followers, the crown in America belongs to We the People, not the President. Not now and not ever.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

"Investigating a bank for following the government's own rules to create paths to address longstanding discrimination in lending is an abuse of the agency’s investigative authority and a transparent attempt to scare every lender in the nation away from their legal obligation to serve underserved communities." -- Nikitra Bailey, executive vice president, National Fair Housing Alliance

The Trump Administration's reported investigation into Wells Fargo's efforts to increase Black homeownership is not about fairness, equal treatment, or protecting the integrity of our financial institutions. It is part of a growing effort to demonize, dismantle, and ultimately eliminate any initiative that seeks to address the enduring consequences of racial discrimination in America.

Stop punishing students. See how the Big Beautiful Bill’s caps on graduate school loans are destroying the dreams of the next generation. | It's time for good trouble. Help us congratulate Marc H. Morial on receiving the John Robert Lewis Lifetime Legacy Award at the March On! Festival. | Is the American Dream real? Read Mayor Brandon Scott’s reflection on learning the hard way that no one is coming to save us but us. | You have a seat at the table. Sign up for our free webinar for tips to land opportunities in crowded industries and stand out amongst the competition. | Construction careers offer more than a job. Explore our Urban Construction Jobs Program for opportunities to build skills, earn a living, and grow.| Fund the Fight! Donate today to help us connect more people to good jobs, stable housing, quality education, better healthcare & the justice they deserve.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela

In a video that garnered nearly 2,000,000 views across social platforms, Howard University Dental School student Darian Bogie told his followers how the Big Beautiful Bill, and its new caps on graduate school loans, pushed him out of his dental program. 

Due to the reach of his story, Bogie was able to surpass his $66,000 fundraising goal on GoFundMe. But for millions of others, the decision is more dire.