It’s the end of Black History Month, and for the first time ever, the Columbus Urban League (Columbus, OH) held a brunch Saturday morning, celebrating the contributions of some trailblazing women in central Ohio.

NBC4’s Darlene Hill served as the moderator and spent some time in the company of some amazing women who are leaving a legacy.

It is all about sisterhood and honoring our own — ladies who are blazing trails right here in Columbus.

Those like Stephanie Hightower, who laid a path for others to follow.

Hightower is celebrating ten years as president and CEO of the Columbus Urban League and said there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done.

“When you have high unemployment rates, when you have high infant mortality rates for African American babies being as high as it is, when you have eviction rates,” she said.

The dimly lit intricate mosaics, high ceilings with tall beams, wide murals and hanging chandeliers decorating the Nebraska State Capitol, along with the sounds of chitchat and the walking foot-taps of adults — mostly white and wearing suits and ties — are typical in the State Capitol.

Thursday looked a little different: More than 150 minority Nebraska students, primarily from Lincoln and Omaha, congregated in the Rotunda and stared 112 feet up.

The students spent a day in the Capitol for the Black and Brown Legislative Day to learn the ins and outs of the bill-making process and to engage elected officials to make their voices heard.

This year’s program was organized by multiple nonprofits including Coalition for a Strong Nebraska, Urban League of Nebraska (Omaha, NE), Women’s Fund of Omaha, ACLU and the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table. The Peter Kiewit Foundation funded the program.

It's that time again. Every 10 years, every person living in the United States is counted by the Census Bureau.

Indianapolis Urban League (Indianapolis, IN) CEO Tony Mason said making sure everyone is counted matters because an undercount means less money to go towards helping families in need.

"The federal government allocates $675 billion towards social efforts and things such as housing and education," Mason said. "We probably help somewhere in the area of 400 to 500 families with emergency rent and utility assistance. Most of those dollars come through FEMA funds, so we're talking about federal funds."

In order to dispel some of the fears that might keep people from taking part in the census, Mason said it all confidential. The information will not be released to police or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Massillon native, will return to Stark County on Saturday to address the Urban League fundraiser.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will be the keynote speaker at the Greater Stark County Urban League (Canton, OH) Black and White dinner Saturday night at the Metropolitan Event Center in Canton.

The theme of the fundraising event is Connecting with the Community.

The Black and White Ball aims to showcase the organization’s efforts toward improving the lives of those it serves by helping them make connections within the community.

Ahead of Lightfoot’s return to Stark County, The Independent caught up with the Massillon native and 56th mayor of Chicago via email to get her thoughts on the Urban League and current events.

Q: Why did you decide to come home and talk at the Urban League dinner and what will be your message?

As a stay-at-home mother in 2006, Shanequa Levin, of Huntington Station, was feeling stir-crazy. She had two children — ages 4 and 8 at the time — and had just moved to the town in 2003.

“Since at least 2014, known and unknown individuals, operating as part of a broader Russian effort known as ‘Project Lakhta,’ have engaged in political and electoral interference operations targeting populations within the Russian Federation and in various other countries..."

The Los Angeles Urban League (Los Angeles, CA) aims to increase diversity in Hollywood, both inside and outside the camera.

The organization announced on Thursday (Feb. 20th) a collaboration between its Backstage Careers program, Los Angeles City College, and the Better Youth group. Together, they will recruit at-risk youth to participate in a 15-week training program to learn practical skills for production jobs.

The program will help its participants to obtain internships or jobs in music, television and film production.

The Backstage Careers program already works with TV and film studios, production companies and other entertainment organizations to provide its participants with training, internship stipends, internships and job placement for the career of their dreams in the entertainment industry.

Following a multi-million dollar settlement with the owner of the E.D. Edwards coal plant, Peoria-area organizations met today at Mt. Zion Baptist Church to celebrate the grants being awarded as part of the settlement process. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit and three community partner organizations who advised during the selection process announced a wide range of projects that will help the community transition as the plant prepares to retire.

The settlement of the lawsuit, brought under the Clean Air Act in 2013, provided a total of $8.6 million dollars for workforce development, healthcare-related funding, and clean energy projects. It also provides for the Edwards plant to close by the end of 2022 -- pending approval by regulators. 

Los Angeles Urban League’s (Los Angeles, CA) Construction Career Academy (CCA) held its first class of the new year this past week with a full house of diverse men and women of all ages looking to get into a construction trade.  CCA and many other workforce development programs are trying to fill employment gaps as labor shortages continue to plague the construction industry.

According to a new report released by the Southern California Partnership for Jobs, the Los Angeles County construction sector is expected to add more jobs and higher salaries. The report forecasted a 6% growth in LA County adding about 9,500 jobs for 2020. In addition, average construction wages are projected to grow 0.7% to $68,024, annually.

With projects ranging from sports venues, housing, and hotels to transportation and infrastructure, there is a growing need for skilled construction workers in Los Angeles. However, contractors cannot find enough workers to meet the demand.