Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

“… ‘the rules are the rules.’ Yet, rules aren't inherently neutral — more likely than not, rules are an extension of a status quo of racism, and are often written by people who have never faced the sort of marginalization that their rules create. While marijuana is widely legal, and widely used by people of all races and backgrounds today, that wasn't always the case. And while plenty of legal weed businesses are helmed by white people, prisons across the country are still filled with Black and brown drug offenders, sentenced for marijuana use. There will always be racist implications to who is and isn't punished for drug use across lines of race and class. Richardson's case is just another devastating example of this”.  -- Kylie Cheung

The PepsiCo Foundation and the National Urban League announced the first grant recipients of their Black Restaurant Accelerator Program, a joint $10 million initiative that will provide 500 Black restaurant owners in 12 cities over the next five years with capital, technical assistance, and mentorship services. As the United States begins to reopen, this program is providing critical support to Black restaurateurs who were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Today's announcement recognizes the vital contributions of Black-owned restaurants to the fabric of American culture, as well as the need to preserve these institutions. The program provides a tangible pathway towards substantive pandemic recovery and lasting economic equity. The first grantees include:

• Victoria's Kitchen & Catering Soul Food Restaurant in Philadelphia, PA

• Takoma Station Tavern and Wingery in Washington, D.C.,

JUNE JOBS REPORT: LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE SHIFTS EARTH PLATES, THE PANDEMIC SHIFTED STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT 

by Bernard E. Anderson, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and Senior Economic Advisor, National Urban League.

We appreciate the efforts of lawmakers leading the negotiations around the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. We were heartened to see the U.S. House of Representatives pass a strong version of the bill last year and again this year. Yet, more than a year after George Floyd was murdered and weeks after a draft bill was circulated, the U.S. Senate still has not agreed on key provisions of the bill. Congress must deliver justice. We collectively demand that Congress honor its commitment to produce a final bill that can pass the House and Senate before the end of June and ensure a strong George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is passed before the August recess.

CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS DEMAND RESULTS IN GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT NEGOTIATIONS

Watch as Marc Morial, President & CEO of the National Urban League and Kala Gibson, Fifth Third’s head of business banking and chief enterprise corporate social responsibility officer, discuss the what, why, and how of the need to invest in our communities.