Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

“The 1976 celebration was a more vital and happy one because of a broad belief that two years earlier the system had worked, and we were celebrating a system that had cleansed itself. We were in a period of renewal and relief, and today we’re in a period of fear and loathing. We don’t have any reason to celebrate our founding documents, because we’re living in an authoritarian state that is quite different from the one that the founders created.” -- Jonathan Alter

In a proclamation declaring 1976 The Bicentennial Year, President Ford called upon “every man, woman, and child to celebrate the diversity of tradition, culture and heritage that reflects our people and our patrimony.”

A half century later, President Trump used the occasion of the nation’s 250th anniversary to celebrate Trump.

Relive moments from our Youth Civic Summit where we discussed civic engagement, voting + more.

Our Urban League Empowerment Center in Harlem won the Urban Land Institute's Mixed-Use Development of the Year award! More on this.

The Urban League of Louisiana (New Orleans, LA) is expanding its entrepreneurial development efforts in Ascension and St. James parishes through a new cohort of its Scale Up! Louisiana program, designed to help established small businesses grow and become more profitable.

Wednesday is the last day to sign up for the summer 2026 cohort, which will run from July 7 through Sept. 1 and provide participating business owners with intensive training, mentorship, and business planning support to help them scale their operations.

Scale Up! Louisiana is a place-based entrepreneurial education program that targets growth-stage businesses. The program combines classroom instruction, virtual learning and individualized counseling to help entrepreneurs refine their business models and develop strategies for sustainable growth.

The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) received more than 40,000 pounds of food and household essentials Wednesday through a partnership with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

An America250-branded 18-wheeler arrived July 1 at the Urban League’s headquarters, 1408 N. Kingshighway Blvd. The donation, valued at about $65,000, will support families attending the Urban Expo Back-to-School Drive-Thru on Saturday, Aug. 8.

The shipment was part of the church’s America Gives Initiative, a nationwide service campaign connected to America250, the nonpartisan commission marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Michael P. McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, said the donation will help thousands of families access food and essential household items as they prepare for the new school year.

Houston knows how to pack a ballroom when the mission is bigger than the menu. On Friday, June 26, 2026, the Houston Area Urban League (Houston, TX) proved that once again as more than 306 community, civic, corporate, education, healthcare, philanthropic and neighborhood leaders filled the Hilton Americas-Houston for the sold-out 5th Annual Advancing Opportunity Luncheon.

Proudly supported by Houston Style Magazine as an event media sponsor, this year’s gathering carried a timely and powerful theme: “Mobility in Motion: Investing in People, Pathways & Progress for a Stronger Houston.” And in true Houston fashion, the room was not just dressed for success — it was organized around it.

As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, many Black Americans are approaching the milestone with a mixture of pride, skepticism, and concern about the nation’s future.

While commemorations planned across the country will honor the nation’s founding, civil rights leaders, historians, and advocates have argued that any observance of America’s 250th birthday must also confront the country’s history of slavery, disenfranchisement, and racial inequality.

“As the nation marks 250 years, democracy, civil rights, and the rule of law are faced with existential tests,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said in announcing America 250: A Guide for Defending Democracy, a civic engagement initiative developed by the National Urban League and the Demand Diversity Roundtable.