WASHINGTON, D.C. – Days after declaring a State of Emergency for democracy in the United States, the nation’s top civil rights leaders met with President Biden at the White House today to urge the administration to embolden voting rights, improve economic opportunities, and advance civil rights.

On Sunday, the 59th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, these leaders delivered a call to action for all Americans to protect the right to vote. This essential American right is undoubtably under its greatest threat since the Jim Crow era, which sparked the first historic 1963 march. At the White House today, these leaders laid out how Americans face the same issues now as they did decades ago and urged the President to take swift action in the coming year.

Dr. Bernard E. Anderson
Whitney M Young, Jr. Professor Emeritus, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Senior Economic Advisor, National Urban League

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

"A champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall." – Serena Williams 

In the days since tennis phenomenon Serena Williams announced her retirement, pundits and sports commentators have enthusiastically engaged in the age-old game of debating her status of the Greatest Of All Time. 

AKRON – Fifty years ago, the Black community of Akron suffered a tremendous setback when the Akron Innerbelt highway was constructed.

The construction of the highway precipitated the destruction of Akron’s largest Black community, and on Sunday, August 28th, the Akron Community Center and Urban League (Akron, OH) hosted a reunion event for those who were displaced.

The Akron Innerbelt Reunion, held outside of the Urban League’s building, had a “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” theme. It had speakers speak on the history of the construction project, and its destructive impact on Akron’s Black community.

Rochester – The Urban League of Rochester (Rochester, NY) is demanding that the community do more to combat racism.

This demand comes as reports of a racist party, thrown in July at the mansion of Nicholas and Mary Znidarsic-Nicosia, comes under fire.

The party, attended by firefighter Jerrod Jones at the urging of his supervisor, contained several racist stereotypes and tropes.

The Nicosias admitted to throwing the party and its racist theme. They apologized to the African American community, but the Urban League is not satisfied with this apology.

LITTLE ROCK – In a recent interview, the President of the Urban League of the State of Arkansas (Little Rock, AK), is passionate about tackling the issue of police brutality.

In the wake of a recent video of three police officers violently subduing a suspect, the Urban League released a statement that condemns the actions of the officers, while complimenting the quick response of agencies looking into it.

Scott Hamilton, who has been President of the Urban League for two years, said, “This is a human issue. And from the Urban League’s perspective, we look at the issues that affect our society for all folks."

LOUISVILLE – As part of celebrating August being National Black Business Month, the Louisville Urban League (Louisville, KY) has opened a new space for entrepreneurs.

PNC Entrepreneurship Plaza, located at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center, will be a place where Black entrepreneurs can advertise their services and products to those visiting the location, which contains indoor and outdoor spaces for pop-ups.

This development has come from a $1 million dollar grant from the PNC Foundation, which is a part of the Foundation’s $88 billion Community Benefits Plan, which hopes to support the economic empowerment of Black and low-income communities. The grant, announced in August of last year, supports the Urban League in its mission to empower communities of color strive for economic equality.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS RECOGNIZE 59TH ANNIVERSARY AMID STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR DEMOCRACY AND VOTING RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES

Call for Voter Protections, Safety Ahead of 2022 Midterm Elections

Honoring 59 years. August 28th marks the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington that shifted the trajectory of #TheMovement. Learn more. | Glimmer of hope. This week President Biden offered much-needed relief to student loan borrowers by eliminating up to $20K worth of debt. Read more. | Ready to get boosted? After getting vaxxed, the next step to protect yourself against COVID-19 is to get boosted as the virus continues to mutate. | Let’s talk money. Watch as we dive into student loan forgiveness, the current debt crisis in America, and much more on our latest episode of Justice Now.