FORT LAUDERDALE – As the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc over us all, it also exacerbated the many inequities that minorities faced in this country. Minorities, who already saw inequities in the areas such as education, housing, and health, saw those inequalities grow as the pandemic raged on.
The Urban League of Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, FL), with the help of TD Bank, sought to help bridge those gaps.
By: Jenelle Crawford, Intern
HARTFORD – The Urban League of Greater Hartford (Hartford, CT) is trying to get their community to MOVE!
MOVE! Is an event that the Urban League will be hosting in partnership with the Hartford Marathon Foundation on Saturday, July 30th at Keney Park. The event will include a 5K run and walk, free kids races, and a fitness festival for all ages. There will also Zumba classes, Double Dutch, and live entertainment.
The Urban League hopes that this event will encourage participants to get out and get active. It will also include a festival along with the 5K, which will take place in the park. Kids twelve and under will get free entry to the 5K, or the various other races of a shorter distance.
MADISON – For the first time since the pandemic started, the Urban League of Greater Madison (Madison, WI) held its Unity Picnic.
The Unity Picnic is the Urban League’s an event that they’ve held for the past eight years. It is designed for the community to get together and learn about the community service programs that the Urban League is responsible for.
One of the big names this year was former Governor Jim Doyle, who has made a point to attend the event every year it’s held.
ATLANTA – The Urban League of Greater Atlanta (Atlanta, GA) partnered with Courvoisier Cognac to award Atlanta’s best minority-owned small businesses.
The Courvoisier Entrepreneurship Awards was designed to recognize the best of Atlanta’s small business community. It is part of Courvoisier’s Foundation 1828, which is a $1 million commitment to support minority businesses. The cognac company partnered with the Urban League to host the awards, as part of its multi-year partnership with the National Urban League.
The event also had a compelling pitch competition, a networking panel for small business, and an educational panel. Financial grants were given to the top participants.
The wait is over. On Wednesday, we kick off our first-ever hybrid in-person and virtual Annual Conference in Washington, DC! Here’s what we have in store. | We love to see it! Marc H. Morial hosted the official press conference for Stellar TV to announce the launch of its Black-owned TV network. Take a look. | The final countdown! Get ready to kick it with us in DC for the most epic experience of the summer. Register now and see what to expect. | Can’t make it to DC? Register now for the FREE virtual #NULCONF22 experience to catch gems to enhance your career, business, and more. | Family fun day. Back-to-school supplies are on us this year! Meet us in DC for FREE items for your kids, giveaways, health screenings, and much more.
Marc H. Morial
President and CEO
National Urban League
“I thank you, Urban League, for all of your leadership, and I look forward to fighting with you ... Part of the strength of this organization and all of the leaders in this room is we have always been motivated by knowing what can be, unburdened by what has been. This is a fight that is born out of optimism. This is a fight that is born out of knowing that we must fight for the soul of our country also out of love of country. And this is a fight we will win.” Kamala Harris, address to the National Urban League Conference
The last time the National Urban League convened for an in-person Conference in July of 2019, special counsel, Robert Mueller was taking a seat to testify to the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and the then-President’s efforts to obstruct that investigation.
Organization leaders are learning that understanding the needs of their workforce is essential to success in business. One way DoorDash is taking care of home is by working with the National Urban League to provide financial education to dashers — the company’s front-line workforce responsible for making deliveries.
From March to September 2020, nearly two million people applied to become dashers. During that time, dashers earned more than $3.5 billion, and those who lived in predominantly Black or Latinx communities brought in $2.1 billion of those earnings. As part of its $200 million Main Street Strong pledge, DoorDash and the National Urban League announced a four-year partnership in December 2020 to increase economic opportunity and support Dashers’ financial success.
KNOXVILLE – The Knoxville Area Urban League (Knoxville, TN) is focusing on helping minority entrepreneurs get their business off the ground.
According to the Urban League, in 2021, 41% of minority businesses closed down, due to the pandemic. Around 50% of minority businesses saw a revenue reduction.
It these numbers that have the Urban League determined to make sure that minority entrepreneurs succeed in their business ventures.
