Bounce Innovation Hub (Bounce) and Akron Urban League or AUL (Akron, OH) announce the transition of the MORTAR Entrepreneurship Academy (MORTAR) program from Bounce to AUL, a move that further strengthens the collaborative relationship between the two organizations and reflects a shared commitment to streamlining and aligning resources across the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

MORTAR is a nationally recognized entrepreneurship program built in Cincinnati, Ohio designed to support underrepresented entrepreneurs and small business owners as they build and grow their companies. Since bringing the program to Akron in 2020 with the support of the City of Akron, Burton D. Morgan Foundation, and GAR Foundation, Bounce has hosted 12 MORTAR cohorts and 150 entrepreneurs through the cohort-based training, mentorship, and community support.

When Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh discovered an old letter at the Urban League of Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, FL), it felt like holding a piece of living history. Dated 1974 and addressed to founder Margaret Roach, the letter outlined the steps to form a local Urban League chapter and included a modest startup budget of just $30,000.

“In 1974, Margaret and others believed Fort Lauderdale needed an Urban League because of the integration of schools and other social changes,” said Dr. Smith-Baugh, President and CEO of the Urban League. “If they could figure that out then, with under $30,000, I think to myself, we got this.”

TD Bank has been a key relationship on this incredible journey that Urban League of Broward County has been on.

This relationship spans almost 15 years and is marked by shared values and bold decisions, especially during times when others were hesitant.

The voice of a new generation. See how Rep. Jasmine Crockett leads with clarity, conviction, and results in Texas + beyond to meet this moment. | Greetings from Chicago! Our President & CEO joined local Urban League head Karen Freeman-Wilson, Mayor Brandon Johnson & others for productive convos. | Happening tonight! Join Marc H. Morial today, August 2nd, alongside Don Lemon + many others for a panel discussion during the Black Authors Festival. | Celebrating 60 years! Medicare and Medicaid changed lives but devastating cuts now threaten health care access for millions. Here’s what’s at stake. | Don’t miss the gems. Meet the minds making sense of the current state of emergency in our latest report, which highlights the rollback of civil rights. | Relive the moment. Tap in to learn how to break media barriers, amplify your voice, and drive impact with powerful, authentic storytelling. | Mark your calendars! Tune in on August 5 at 7:30 PM ET for a discussion about vaccines and preventable childhood illnesses.  Catch the replay! Register for our virtual #NULConf25 to tap into the gems our speakers shared on entrepreneurship, civil rights + more. | What do the numbers tell us? Dr. Bernard Anderson, our Chief Economics Advisor, shares an in-depth look at the state of the economy. Check it out. | Need new swag? Our online marketplace is open 24/7 and your only spot to purchase official Urban League merchandise. Take a look.

New York, Austin, and Houston (July 31, 2025)  — As Texas lawmakers reconvene for a special legislative session to redraw congressional maps, the leaders of the National Urban League, the Austin Area Urban League and the Houston Area Urban League are sounding the alarm on the continued weaponization of redistricting to dilute Black political power.

National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial, Austin Area Urban League President and CEO Quincy Dunlap, and Houston Area Urban League President and CEO Judson W. Robinson III issued the following statement:

“The Supreme Court’s decision in Allen v. Milligan reaffirmed that states must protect communities of color from racially discriminatory maps. Texas, however, continues a decades-long pattern of violating the Voting Rights Act.

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

The August employment report reveals a slowing labor market that is beginning to reflect the uncertainty clouding the broader economy. Employers added 73,000 jobs in July, the smallest monthly gain in ten months. This follows a downward revision of previously reported job growth over the past year, subtracting more than a quarter of a million jobs from what had been believed to be stronger gains. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2 percent, but the tone of this report is markedly more subdued than in previous months.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

“When you have people that are this extreme, they will do anything and everything to maintain power. The only thing that will stop them is us.” – Rep. Jasmine Crockett

We are living through a moment that demands clarity, resolve, and truth. Across this country, communities are calling for leadership that understands the stakes, challenges the status quo, and delivers for those most often left behind.

In Texas, that leadership has a name: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.

Since stepping onto the national stage, Rep. Crockett has made it clear that she is not in Washington to warm a seat. She is there to fight for justice, for access, and for the voices too often silenced in our democracy. She speaks not for spectacle, but for substance. She represents a new generation of Black leaders who combine deep community roots with legislative rigor and moral clarity.

Medicare and Medicaid have protected Americans’ health for 60 years, but now that legacy is under threat.

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare and Medicaid Act into law, expanding health care access for millions of Americans. These landmark programs, part of the Social Security Amendments of 1965, changed lives then and continue to do so today.

Trump administration policies have brought us to the point where we could return to the America of segregated bathrooms, said the National Urban League’s President, Marc Morial at Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s unveiling of her Equity in Government Act on Wednesday.