ELIZABETH (Nov. 14, 2022) – The Union County Urban League (Elizabeth, NJ) had their Equal Opportunity Dinner on Thursday (Nov. 10th) and honored the company Exothermic Molding.

The organization is a third-generation family-owned company that provides specialty plastics molding and additive manufacturing for various industries. It’s been in business for fifty years.

The Urban League honored the company with their Employer Partner Award, which is an award given to organizations that assist the League in their mission to provide underserved communities social and economic opportunities.

CHICAGO (Nov. 14, 2022) – The Chicago Urban League (Chicago, IL) held their signature event on Saturday, Nov. 5th.

The Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner, in its 61st year, was held at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk, with over 1800 people in attendance. It also helps raise funding for the League in their efforts to help the underserved in Chicago, from finding affordable housing to help expand their business.

This year, the event helped raise $2 million dollars for the Urban League.

President and CEO of the Urban League, Karen Freeman-Wilson, was thrilled.

Honoring Rev. Calvin Butts. Read more on the legacy left behind by an iconic leader in #TheMovement who used power, politics, and faith to create change.| Thank you! Kudos to every voter, volunteer, election worker, and others who upheld our democracy this week. Next up: Georgia runoff election on Dec. 6. | Your health is a priority. The holiday season is officially here and before planning your family gatherings, take a moment to get boosted. | The countdown is on! Grab your favorite sneakers and join us at #EOD2022 as we honor some of the nation’s most influential people. Get your tickets now. | This weekend! We’re excited for the world premiere of a film that spotlights Marc H. Morial and Janet Murguía. Here’s how you can see it. | National Apprenticeship Week. Here’s how we’re celebrating the value of Registered Apprenticeship for supporting and rebuilding our economy. | Don’t miss a moment. Tune in now to the State of Black America podcast to catch up on updates on social justice and all things policy.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

“Reverend Butts worked more effectively than any other leader at the intersection of power, politics, and faith in New York. He understood the role of faith in our lives, especially in the Black community. But he also understood power and how to wield it and how to demand power from those who often sought to hoard it. And so he was a pragmatist, he was a realist, but he was also a dreamer.” – Ford Foundation President Darren Walker

Last year, during a town hall on vaccines hosted by the Black Coalition Against COVID-19, of which the National Urban League is a co-founding partner, the Rev. Calvin Butts stated succinctly and powerfully the role of the church in Black communities, and the power of the church to shape those communities.

FCC’S COMMUNICATIONS EQUITY AND DIVERSITY COUNCIL ADOPTS RECOMMENDATIONS TO PREVENT DIGITAL DISCRIMINATION 

NEW YORK (Nov. 7, 2022) - Affiliate Leaders, we are hours away from Election Day, tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8, 2022. 

Our National Urban League Civic Engagement Reclaim Your Vote program is on the precipice of reaching our goals, however we need to call 13,000 more voters and knock on 9,000 more doors of voters. 

Can you help? 

NEW ORLEANS (Nov. 7, 2022) - The Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA), in collaboration with the National Urban League, announced nine recipients of its 2022 Black Restaurant Accelerator program grants sponsored by the PepsiCo Foundation.

The Black Restaurant Accelerator program is a part of a $10M investment by the PepsiCo Foundation to provide current and aspiring Black food service operators with access to capital, training, mentorship and other support services through the National Urban League’s 12 entrepreneurship centers. The national program seeks to boost approximately 500 Black-owned businesses over 5 years.

NORFOLK (Nov. 7, 2022) – On Friday, Nov. 4th, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a brand-new partnership between the Urban Leagues of Hampton Roads (Norfolk, VA) and Greater Richmond (Richmond, VA) and Virginia HBCUs – Norfolk State University, Hampton University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University.

This new initiative comes at a time when incoming college students face increasing issues as they suffer learning loss because of the pandemic. The program will employ students as tutors and mentors to high school and middle school students throughout the community.

LOUISVILLE (Nov. 7, 2022) – As Election Day draws near, the Louisville Urban League (Louisville, KY) is making sure that voters understand what’s on the ballot.

Lyndon Pryor, the Urban League’s Chief Engagement Officer, said, “We hosted ballot breakdown sessions. There’s some really important elections on the ballot. And we break down what those are and what they mean, and try to help people understand why they need to show up to vote in those elections and why that’s important.”

In addition to educating the voters, staff members of the Urban League will also be poll monitors, to ascertain that voters have no issues with voting.

By Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN

AtlantaCNN — 

Aaron Bethea says he has voted election after election for US presidents, governors and senators – and yet those lawmakers have done little to nothing to improve life for him, his family or his community.

Bethea said he believes the issues he cares about, financial freedom and equal investment in predominately Black schools, have largely been ignored.

“Where we are from, nobody really cares about what Black men think,” said Bethea, an Atlanta father of six who owns a wholesale company that sells televisions. “They don’t do anything for us.”

Bethea, 40, said he still plans to vote Democratic in Georgia’s hotly contested gubernatorial and US Senate races. But he’s not voting with enthusiasm. He said he is hoping that one day someone will prioritize the needs of Black men.