Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Massillon native, will return to Stark County on Saturday to address the Urban League fundraiser.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot will be the keynote speaker at the Greater Stark County Urban League (Canton, OH) Black and White dinner Saturday night at the Metropolitan Event Center in Canton.

The theme of the fundraising event is Connecting with the Community.

The Black and White Ball aims to showcase the organization’s efforts toward improving the lives of those it serves by helping them make connections within the community.

Ahead of Lightfoot’s return to Stark County, The Independent caught up with the Massillon native and 56th mayor of Chicago via email to get her thoughts on the Urban League and current events.

Q: Why did you decide to come home and talk at the Urban League dinner and what will be your message?

The Los Angeles Urban League (Los Angeles, CA) aims to increase diversity in Hollywood, both inside and outside the camera.

The organization announced on Thursday (Feb. 20th) a collaboration between its Backstage Careers program, Los Angeles City College, and the Better Youth group. Together, they will recruit at-risk youth to participate in a 15-week training program to learn practical skills for production jobs.

The program will help its participants to obtain internships or jobs in music, television and film production.

The Backstage Careers program already works with TV and film studios, production companies and other entertainment organizations to provide its participants with training, internship stipends, internships and job placement for the career of their dreams in the entertainment industry.

Following a multi-million dollar settlement with the owner of the E.D. Edwards coal plant, Peoria-area organizations met today at Mt. Zion Baptist Church to celebrate the grants being awarded as part of the settlement process. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit and three community partner organizations who advised during the selection process announced a wide range of projects that will help the community transition as the plant prepares to retire.

The settlement of the lawsuit, brought under the Clean Air Act in 2013, provided a total of $8.6 million dollars for workforce development, healthcare-related funding, and clean energy projects. It also provides for the Edwards plant to close by the end of 2022 -- pending approval by regulators. 

Los Angeles Urban League’s (Los Angeles, CA) Construction Career Academy (CCA) held its first class of the new year this past week with a full house of diverse men and women of all ages looking to get into a construction trade.  CCA and many other workforce development programs are trying to fill employment gaps as labor shortages continue to plague the construction industry.

According to a new report released by the Southern California Partnership for Jobs, the Los Angeles County construction sector is expected to add more jobs and higher salaries. The report forecasted a 6% growth in LA County adding about 9,500 jobs for 2020. In addition, average construction wages are projected to grow 0.7% to $68,024, annually.

With projects ranging from sports venues, housing, and hotels to transportation and infrastructure, there is a growing need for skilled construction workers in Los Angeles. However, contractors cannot find enough workers to meet the demand.

 Fundraising for the track and field complex in west Louisville is approaching the finish line, but it's in need of a final push.

The Louisville Urban League (Louisville, KY) has raised $44 million of the $50 million cost for construction. President Sadiqa Reynolds said she also wants to raise an additional $5 million to help support the facility's operating costs.

Reynolds said most of the funds for the Norton Sports Health Sports Athletic and Learning complex have come from individuals, foundations and Metro Government, and she is now challenging local corporations to also step up.

“Maybe there's been so much reliance on government and foundations that corporations don't see their role. I don't know,” Reynolds said. “But I also want to say this: We have at this facility many opportunities for sponsorships.” 

We hosted diverse voices in Washington, D.C. this week to exchange strategies for making sure Black communities are fully counted in the 2020 Census. Catch the highlights and do your part to Make Black Count!