The Greater Stark County Urban League (Canton, OH) has launched the Cultural Ally Program to improve mental health care access for underserved communities.

The program is funded by a $159,000 grant through Stark County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery.

The Cultural Ally Program aims to bridge the divide between behavioral health services and diverse populations, including Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, veterans, and economically marginalized people.

A "cultural ally" serves as a liaison between mental health providers and community members, advocates for culturally responsive care, helps people navigate mental health resources and builds trust and resilience by promoting self-support systems within communities.

For the last eight decades, the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City or ULOKC (Oklahoma City, OK) has been the African American community’s premier social service agency, providing affordable housing, minority business support, workforce development, employment and education services. As CEO, Dr. Valerie Thompson works to break poverty cycles, address systemic inequities and foster hope.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of the role is witnessing transformation firsthand,” Dr. Thompson shared. “Every day, I hear stories of clients who have overcome barriers and thrive through the ULOKC’s programs. My role also gives me the unique opportunity to uplift the next generation.”

In 2025, Dr. Thompson says the organization will prioritize affordable housing, youth education, workforce programs and expungement services.

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Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

"You can’t really run a campaign where you’re like: I want to cut taxes for rich people and raise them on the poor. So instead, it’s all of this smoke-and-mirrors distraction about how foreigners are taking advantage of us ... It’s a story that, if you don’t know any economics and you haven’t stopped to think about it, sounds appealing. And the more people who buy that story, the more he can do this fiscal switch and have an excuse for the tax cuts." — Kimberly Clausing
 
President Trump says "tariff is the most beautiful word in the dictionary."

The beauty, for him, is that it allows him to avoid the word "tax." 

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE ASSAILS EXTREMIST SPENDING BILL THAT THREATENS TO UPEND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, GUT AID TO CITIES, AND HOLD THE COUNTRY HOSTAGE

NEW YORK (March 13, 2025) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial today condemned a move by the U.S. House of Representatives to force a  government spending bill through that will effectively give DOGE unchecked power to dismantle the federal government and defund the District of Columbia through September 30th.

“The District of Columbia has long been a stronghold of the Black middle class in the America,” Morial said. “Cutting $1 billion from the city’s budget not only threatens its services, it is an all-out assault on the schools, workforce, and city services that make our nation’s capital great.”