The Washington Bureau is pleased to introduce the 2024-2025 Graduates of the National Urban League Congressional Advocacy Program! This diverse group of leaders from across the Urban League movement came together to complete an intensive six-month learning experience with a common commitment to empower communities and change lives through advocacy and grassroots outreach.

Please join us in congratulating this year’s graduates who have successfully earned their certification!

Anthony Baise | Greater Washington Urban League Young Professionals

Michael Coleman | Indianapolis Urban League Young Professionals

Armon D. Cook | Greater Stark County Urban League Affiliate

When Lexington activist Harry Sykes first heard a speech from the National Urban League executive director at the University of Kentucky in the late 1960s, he knew he wanted to bring the organization to Lexington.

In his speech, Whitney Young said the Urban League was an organization focused on economic improvements. “It was clear in the beginning that it wasn’t just another protest organization,” Harry Sykes said, according to the Urban League of Lexington-Fayette County (Lexington, KY). “It had very sound ideas of what was appropriate for the people: education, housing and employment.”

The third and final statewide convening of the Broadening Perspectives Project concluded in New York, marking the end of a journey that began in California and continued in Ohio. This event brought together a diverse group of stakeholders — including educators, policymakers, community leaders, and families — all focused on the future of assessments and accountability in education. Over the course of the day, participants engaged in deep discussions that highlighted the need for systemic changes to ensure more equitable, transparent, and supportive educational practices for all students, especially those from historically marginalized communities.

Level Setting and Welcome Remarks

Uplifting our history. This Memorial Day, we honor the Black soldiers who served with grace and dedication, even as they faced injustice. | Honoring a legend. See how Alexis Herman channelled the trauma of the KKK brutally beating her father not into bitterness but a life of extraordinary service. | On set at MSNBC. Marc Morial joined Morning Joe to break down the findings of our newly released report about George Floyd. Watch the segment here. | A moment or a movement? Watch as our President & CEO Marc Morial vows to double down on the fight for racial justice alongside Urban League leaders. | Must-read report. Five years after the tragedy that shook the nation, where does America stand on police reform and racial justice? Check out our findings. | Discounts available now. Register by June 1st to lock in our current rate for the premier civil rights and social justice gathering of the summer. | Champions of Equity & Justice. Check out the inspiring changemakers we honored at #EmpowermentSummit2025 for their dedication to The Movement. | Reimagine the U.S. tax system. See how our ten-point equity-centered plan to correct historic tax inequities and close the racial wealth gap will impact you. | Your one-stop shop. Grab your Urban League swag today to help support our mission of empowering communities + changing lives.

“Education is important because, first of all, people need to know that discrimination still exists. It is still real in the workplace, and we should not take that for granted.” — Alexis Herman

Fear and intimidation have long been used as weapons to subjugate and silence Black Americans. From the horrors of the Middle Passage to the brutality of Jim Crow segregation, the legacy of violence and racial terror in the United States has left deep scars on generations. National Urban League Board of Trustees Vice Chair Alexis Herman, who passed away last month at the age of 77, knew this history not from textbooks, but from personal experience.

NEW YORK (May 22, 2025) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to the budget bill passed by the House of Representatives:

"In contrast to its name, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is One Big Ugly Bill.  It is a massive wealth transfer from those at the bottom of the economy to those at the top and will harm vulnerable people by cutting healthcare, education, and nutrition — not only for the neediest but also for working families and seniors. 

"We urge the Senate to summarily reject this Big Ugly Bill and work on a bipartisan basis to develop a fiscal blueprint that invests in the American people and honor its commitment to the communities it represents.

NEW YORK (May 22,2025) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to the murders of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., last night:

"Even in this sad era of heightened political violence, last night’s murders of two Israeli Embassy aides are shocking and appalling. Our hearts are with the families of Yaron Lischinsk and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, and all those who have suffered antisemitic violence.

"That this atrocity was committed during a celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month only highlights the ongoing horror of antisemitism.

"The National Urban League continues to stand in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters and remains committed to the fight against hate, discrimination, and terrorism."