Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer on Monday announced a plan to expand internet connectivity in West Louisville — a need recently expressed by some West End stakeholders.

Fischer said Louisville Metro Government has partnered with the firm Digital Decision to install roughly 30 Wi-Fi access points throughout the Russell neighborhood, which he said will double the access to free wireless internet service in this West Louisville neighborhood.

The project is made possible in part by a $400,000 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant that was awarded to the city through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, the mayor’s office said in a news release.

2020 report drops on Thursday! Don't miss the release of our highly anticipated publication on August 13, featuring powerful esssays and insights. | Virtual series. Join a stellar line up of activists and leaders for essential discussions dedicated to Black lives and Black power on August 13 at 2PM ET! | Home to Harlem. Get a peek into the future Urban League Empowerment Center, one of the largest and most significant projects in Harlem in 50 years.| Tips for a virtual workforce. Didn’t have a chance to catch the Navigating Virtual Bias virtual session? Watch it here! | Your Monday mornings just got better. Don’t miss Marc Morial’s weekly commentary on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show every Monday at 8:30AM ET! | New Jobs Report. Dr. Bernard Anderson, our Senior Economic Advisor, shares an in-depth look at the state of the economy. Here’s what the numbers tell us. | Black Broadcasters Matter. DuJuan McCoy joins us to talk about broadcast TV closing the digital divide and influencing social justice movements. Listen now!

By Dr. Bernard E. Anderson 
Professor Emeritus, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and
Chairman of the National Urban League Economic Advisory Council.

July’s jobs report indicated that the pace of the recovery has slowed and is in danger of being reversed without swift federal action.

NEW YORK (August 5, 2020) – The National Urban League today announced a newly formed Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Renewal Initiative. This extraordinary place-based effort will provide a unique funding opportunity to address challenges facing Indianapolis’ African American community. This initiative is made possible by a $100 million grant from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. to the National Urban League.

School supplies can be an extra financial burden for some families, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On Saturday the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) and Saint Louis Public School District joined forces to provide basic necessities to students ahead of the fall semester.

This was week 17 of the Urban League’s weekly large scale food, toiletries and PPE material distribution.

The drive-through style event was held at the Urban League’s North St. Louis Community Empowerment Center in North St. Louis. It provided more than 4,000 school supply sets for families. The organization gave out more than a total of $250,000 in items.

To read the full article, click here.

The Louisville Urban League (Louisville, KY) sponsored a free COVID-19 testing event Saturday in downtown Louisville, designed to give those protesting for social justice an easy and accessible way to screen for the virus.

One protester, who goes by J Bird, said with the virus still out there, testing is an important way to protect everyone attending the protests.

"I don’t want this virus to spread. I’m wearing a mask, I’m wearing a mask every time I’m out here," J Bird said. "So it’s just important for everyone to get tested."

Saturday's testing was performed by Strickland, Cox and Associated less than a block away from Jefferson Square, which has been the center of protest activity in downtown Louisville. Urban League president and CEO Sadiqa Reynolds said the organization offered the testing because protesters reached out for an option not connected to the government.

The Knoxville Area Urban League’s (Knoxville, TN) 18th annual Shoes for School became a drive-through and pickup event Saturday, Aug. 1, after the traditional festival in Caswell Park was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns.

The Urban League arranged for delivery or pickup of more than 1,500 pairs of new tennis shoes and 3,000 backpacks full of school supplies, including masks, in coordination with nonprofit partner agencies.

“A pandemic can’t stop Knoxville from giving schoolchildren the help they need,” said Phyllis Y. Nichols, president/CEO of KAUL. “We are especially grateful to our sponsors for stepping up at a tremendous time of need and ensuring that this event could be held.”

To read the full article, click here.