JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Urban League’s (Jacksonville, FL) mission to help veterans just got a lot easier.

This past Wednesday, April 20th, the Urban League received a $2 million check, presented to them by U.S. Representative Al Lawson. The funds come from Congress’ 2022 Community Project Funding and will go towards the Urban League’s Economic Community Development Foundation Community and Veterans Empowerment Center.

According to Lawson, the funds will assist “renovation and construction of the Community and Veterans Empowerment Center. The facility will be designed as a service and community center focusing on research, mental health service, training, and technological veteran’s experience to support veterans and their families.”

On Tuesday, April 12th, the National Urban League (NUL) released the “State of Black America” report in Atlanta, Georgia. It was the first time the Urban League held this event away from the legislative halls of Washington, D.C. Instead, the Urban League held the event at Clark Atlanta University, an HBCU in the middle of what many would say is the heart of the civil rights movement, Atlanta, Georgia. Today, the state of Georgia lies at the hub of a wave of voter suppression laws, impeding the right to vote for many minority communities.

COLUMBUS – The Urban League of Greater Columbus (Columbus, GA) received some federal help this past week.

Congressman Sanford Bishop dropped off a check for $500,000 to the Urban League from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this past Wednesday, April 20th. The Urban League will use the fund to improve their building on First Avenue, he said.

The Congressman said, “As a member of Congress, it gives me a great deal of pride to be able to add an investment to this community through the facilities here at the Urban League to help keep that community develop going forward, which the Urban League has provided over 50 years.”

New entrepreneurship center alert! The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is expanding its resources for small business owners. Read more. | Stop the Twitter takeover. Here’s why we stand against Elon Musk’s efforts to gain full private ownership of Twitter. | It’s time to hit rewind! Tune in to the State of Black America virtual event to catch up on conversations with HBCU students and civil rights leaders. | Double dose of protection. Mask mandates are changing but we encourage you to get vaxxed + stay masked in high-risk areas. Learn more. | The results are in! Tune in as we unpack the results of our Pulse of Black America poll that highlights issues shaping the nation. | Let’s talk cryptocurrency! Dive into our webinar on April 27 to learn the tricks of the trade about bitcoin, NFTs, investing + much more. RSVP now. | Start planning your summer! This July we’re back in-person for the first time since 2019 for the Annual Conference. Register now to meet us in D.C.

“The State of Black America” makes an incredible argument that the right to vote, a right that is guaranteed to all Americans, is being threatened by voting suppression laws all over the country.

However, there is a small silver lining, states Sean Morales-Doyle, in the restoration of voting rights to a group that’s long been disenfranchised – those with felony convictions.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Maxine Waters, of the 43rd District in California, is making the case that fair housing is directly related to us saving our democracy.

In an essay included in the Urban League’s “State of Black America,” Rep, Waters states that the housing crisis is not a new issue. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders made fair housing a tenet to reaching full racial equality, and now, over fifty years later, the fight continues.