Bank of America, in its efforts to strengthen communities of color by advancing racial equality and economic opportunity, awarded $11million to over 170 local nonprofits in Los Angeles in 2021. Most of the grants went to organizations that supported minorities and those populations that have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their 2021 donations were majorly focused on alleviating the impact of racial and economic inequality. Investments included workforce development grants, basic needs grants, and community development grants.

Buffalo’s minority entrepreneurs are getting some help.

Local organizations are sponsoring two initiatives through the University of Buffalo School of Management’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL). These initiatives are geared to empower are minority and women entrepreneurs and to help them achieve more.

 

Erin Houston is looking back to move forward.

The Shenango Urban League President/CEO is pondering on how to best move her organization into 2022. “For 2022, our focus is to maintain our organization during these times of uncertainty and limited funding that the pandemic has presented to us,” she said. “Keeping the organization strong and moving in the right direction through these times, keeping the staff safe, those are my main goals.”

Civil rights leaders expressed disappointment at the U.S. Senate’s failure to advance key voting rights legislation and change the filibuster rule, both of which they say are needed to protect democracy and ensure equal access to the ballot in what is expected to be a pivotal election year.

p>From the Streets to the Boardroom. Larry Miller is living proof that rehabilitation can be used as a stepping stone to success. Read more. | The Future of Black History. Do you know young Black movers + shakers in your community? Submit their names to be featured for #BlackHistoryMonth. | Flatten the curve at home. Getting tested for COVID-19 just got one step easier. Order your FREE rapid antigen COVID-19 tests online now. | Reclaim Your Vote. Yet another filibuster on voting rights is a disappointment, but not a defeat. We will never stop fighting to preserve and defend the rights for which our predecessors bled and died. Take action. | Your safety matters. Add your voice to the conversation on Wednesday, as we discuss strategies to use as employees return to the workplace.

“It’s really about making sure that people understand that formerly incarcerated people can make a contribution. And that a person’s mistake, or the worst mistake that they made in their life, shouldn’t control what happens with the rest of your life.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 19, 2022) — Leading civil rights organizations issued the following joint statement in response to the double atrocity committed in the Senate tonight, both in blocking a vote on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act and in failing to change Senate rules to prevent such obstruction.

Washington, D.C. (January 18, 2022) – Today, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in support of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act: