AKRON – Fifty years ago, the Black community of Akron suffered a tremendous setback when the Akron Innerbelt highway was constructed.

The construction of the highway precipitated the destruction of Akron’s largest Black community, and on Sunday, August 28th, the Akron Community Center and Urban League (Akron, OH) hosted a reunion event for those who were displaced.

The Akron Innerbelt Reunion, held outside of the Urban League’s building, had a “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” theme. It had speakers speak on the history of the construction project, and its destructive impact on Akron’s Black community.

Rochester – The Urban League of Rochester (Rochester, NY) is demanding that the community do more to combat racism.

This demand comes as reports of a racist party, thrown in July at the mansion of Nicholas and Mary Znidarsic-Nicosia, comes under fire.

The party, attended by firefighter Jerrod Jones at the urging of his supervisor, contained several racist stereotypes and tropes.

The Nicosias admitted to throwing the party and its racist theme. They apologized to the African American community, but the Urban League is not satisfied with this apology.

LITTLE ROCK – In a recent interview, the President of the Urban League of the State of Arkansas (Little Rock, AK), is passionate about tackling the issue of police brutality.

In the wake of a recent video of three police officers violently subduing a suspect, the Urban League released a statement that condemns the actions of the officers, while complimenting the quick response of agencies looking into it.

Scott Hamilton, who has been President of the Urban League for two years, said, “This is a human issue. And from the Urban League’s perspective, we look at the issues that affect our society for all folks."

LOUISVILLE – As part of celebrating August being National Black Business Month, the Louisville Urban League (Louisville, KY) has opened a new space for entrepreneurs.

PNC Entrepreneurship Plaza, located at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center, will be a place where Black entrepreneurs can advertise their services and products to those visiting the location, which contains indoor and outdoor spaces for pop-ups.

This development has come from a $1 million dollar grant from the PNC Foundation, which is a part of the Foundation’s $88 billion Community Benefits Plan, which hopes to support the economic empowerment of Black and low-income communities. The grant, announced in August of last year, supports the Urban League in its mission to empower communities of color strive for economic equality.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS RECOGNIZE 59TH ANNIVERSARY AMID STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR DEMOCRACY AND VOTING RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES

Call for Voter Protections, Safety Ahead of 2022 Midterm Elections

Honoring 59 years. August 28th marks the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington that shifted the trajectory of #TheMovement. Learn more. | Glimmer of hope. This week President Biden offered much-needed relief to student loan borrowers by eliminating up to $20K worth of debt. Read more. | Ready to get boosted? After getting vaxxed, the next step to protect yourself against COVID-19 is to get boosted as the virus continues to mutate. | Let’s talk money. Watch as we dive into student loan forgiveness, the current debt crisis in America, and much more on our latest episode of Justice Now.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

“By forgiving up to $20,000 in burdensome student loan debt, President Biden is giving working and middle class families the financial breathing room the desperately need. Buying a home, founding a business, starting a family, and so much more will now be a financial possibility for millions more Americans. But we cannot stop there. The Congressional Black Caucus remains committed to achieving additional reforms to ensure current, and future borrowers are not subjected to this cycle of burdensome debt.” – Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Joyce Beatty

In the 1970s, the maximum federal Pell Grant covered nearly 80 percent of the cost of a four-year public college degree. Today, it covers only a third.

Washington, D.C. (August 22, 2022) – Today, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s announcement of a plan to forgive a portion of student loan debt for those who need it most and extend the pause on federal student loan repayment until the end of the year:

“Today, President Biden offered much-needed relief to millions of federal student loan borrowers. With the stroke of a pen, he is forgiving $10,000 in federal student loan debt for those making under $125,000 a year for non-Pell grant recipients and up to $20,000 for Pell grant recipients. The plan also extends the moratorium on federal loan repayment until the end of the year and takes other long-term steps to ameliorate the college debt crisis for all. 

NEW YORK and LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS (August 23, 2022) – Today, Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, and Scott Hamilton, President and CEO of the Urban League of the State of Arkansas, made the following statement after a video went viral showing law enforcement officers using excessive force on a civilian during an arrest:

ST. PETERSBURG – The Pinellas County Urban League (St. Petersburg, FL) has lost its leader.

Reverend Watson Haynes, II, President and CEO of the Urban League since 2012, passed away on the evening of Saturday, August 20th.

There was an outpouring of love and respect from many at news of his passing.

“Today our community mourns the loss of a great man,” U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who went to high school with Haynes, wrote in a statement. “Reverend Watson Haynes was a humble public servant, someone who woke up each and every day with a commitment to fight for freedom, justice, and equality for his neighbors in Pinellas County. But above all, he was my dear friend.”