Tuesday, May 25 marks one year since George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police. The horrific scene as Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds will forever be seared in many minds and mobilized many others to get involved in the fight for justice. We invite the Urban League Movement, allies, partner organizations, community leaders, and anyone who values justice to join a collective effort to honor George Floyd’s life and legacy.

Here’s what you can do:  

9 Minutes and 29 Seconds of Action | May 25 at 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT

Support our ongoing call for accountability and reform by dedicating 9 minutes and 29 seconds to contact your Senator to support a strong police reform bill – the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. 

Send a pre-drafted letter to your Senators: 

Text JUSTICENOW to 52886

End voter suppression. Jimmy Crow is on a mission to suppress the voices of Black + Brown people. Here are the two voting acts that Congress must sign. | Mark your calendars! You don’t want to miss our 18th annual Legislative Policy Conference on June 15-16, 2021. Here’s what we have in store. | Your COVID resource hub. The CDC has officially approved distribution of one of the three vaccines to children ages 12-15. Here are the facts. | Police reform now. As we approach the 1-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, we need your help to pass the Justice in Policing Act! Here’s how. | Your network is your net worth. RSVP today for our webinar on May 19th to learn different strategies to leverage your community to advance your career.

NEW YORK (May 17, 2021) -- The National Urban League today welcomed the 2021 cohort of its Emerging Leaders Program.

Emerging Leaders is a competitive development opportunity for non-profit and community-based professionals to develop analytical and critical leadership skills.

Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) and the Greater Washington Urban League or GWUL (Washington, DC) announced the new “Future Leaders in Mobility Program,” set to run from August 16, 2021 through August 20, 2021. This week-long program is for rising high school juniors and seniors from historically underserved and vulnerable populations in the Washington, DC metro area and will focus on informing students about the broad range of career opportunities in the automotive industry.

“Offering education and career training for high school students is something we’re extremely passionate about at VWGoA,” said Anna Schneider, Senior Vice President, Industry and Government Relations for Volkswagen Group of America. “We are excited to meet these local, rising-star students and offer them insights and guidance into careers in the automotive industry.”

As we move one step closer to normal there are still a large number of local businesses fighting to survive and ensure they're open on the other side of the pandemic. The Columbus Urban League (Columbus, OH) is stepping up to help. The Urban League is launching a major initiative aimed at providing support.

The past year has been a battle for a number of minority-owned businesses across Central Ohio. From state restrictions to business closures, many have had to use a bit of creativity to remain open. There is now renewed hope and help coming from the Columbus Urban League. 

The Columbus Urban League is kick-starting a major push to lend a hand through the organization's minority business assistance center. 

As a result the abridged 2021 Census Count that took place during the Covid pandemic, Georgia will not be allocated additional congressional seats for the first time nearly 40 years, and political power could likely shift in certain counties when the Georgia Legislature begins redistricting and gerrymandering this year.

The Urban League of Greater Atlanta (Atlanta, GA) is hosting a series of Virtual one-hour Town Hall meetings starting promptly at 6 p.m. The cities include Atlanta (May 20th), Savannah (June 10th), Augusta (July 14th), Columbus (August 12th) and Macon (Sept. 9th) to discuss the impact a political power shift could have on our everyday lives and how each citizen can get engaged to influence these processes.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

"The lie of massive, rampant voter fraud is serving the same function today as it did during the rise of Jim Crow. It stokes fear in a segment of the population that democracy is in peril, and thus provides cover for laws that target Black voters with race-neutral language in the 21st century." -- Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Meet Jimmy Crow.

You may remember Jimmy’s grandfather, Jim Crow. Jim sometimes wore a hood and a robe, and sometimes a sheriff’s badge. He administered incomprehensible “literacy tests” to Black citizens trying to register to vote. He clubbed John Lewis nearly to death on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The n-word flowed freely from Jim’s lips.