Washington, DC (June 23, 2021) - Yesterday, the Senate failed to advance S. 1. The For the People Act to a full floor debate. By doing so, it failed to protect the most fundamental tenet of our democracy—the right to vote. This legislation is not a partisan issue—it is an American issue. The For the People Act would protect the coveted right of this nation’s citizens to have a voice in our democracy.

Independant Staff Report, The Independant

The Stark County Diaper Bank has formed a partnership with Towpath Trail YMCA and Fairless Salvation Army to bring a distribution center to the Fairless community.

Free diapers provided by the non-profit organization will be available at the Towpath Trail YMCA, 1226 Market St. NE, Navarre, by appointment from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays; 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays.

The all-volunteer organization provides diapers to families with newborns to 3-year-old children experiencing diaper needs.

Each child receives 50 diapers a month sizes newborn to 5 and 30 diapers sizes 6 and pull-ups.

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By Chris Oberholtz, KCTV

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- The City of Kansas City has filed its response to the Board of Police Commissioners’ lawsuit against the city pending in Jackson County Circuit Court.

The response argues that the Board’s complaints against the city are both legally and factually false.

Mayor Quinton Lucas issued the following statement:

"One month ago, I worked alongside a supermajority of the City Council to craft legislation with a clear and simple goal of making Kansas City safer after generations of violent crime in our neighborhoods and to break the status quo in crime prevention and rising homicide numbers. I wanted to finally see a substantial, sustained decrease in homicides and shootings in our city. To ensure every child returns home safely to their loved ones at the end of each day."

NEW YORK (June 22, 2021) -- National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to tonight’s procedural vote on critical voting rights legislation:

“Members of the Senate tonight adhered to a deplorable, century-long tradition of using the filibuster to block civil rights legislation and thwart the will of the American people.

The Latin American Association and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta (Atlanta, GA) are joining together to fight hesitancy and increase access to the COVID-19 vaccines in the Latinx and African American communities. The unique partnership between organizations representing Georgia’s largest minority groups was born out of an effort by DeKalb County Commissioner and Presiding Officer Stephen Bradshaw.

“As the Presiding Officer of DeKalb County, I want to make sure that every community in our county can be protected”, said Commissioner Bradshaw. “CEO Marquez and I put our heads together and discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted our respective communities. My office reached out to the Urban League of Greater Atlanta and we are excited to have the personal support of CEO Nancy Flake Johnson. It is going to take efforts like this to truly beat back the pandemic.”

The National Urban League (NUL) and local officials kicked off construction on the civil rights organization’s $242 million, 414,000-square-foot Urban League Empowerment Center on Thursday, June 17 at the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building in Harlem.

The building will be located on 125th Street and will house NUL’s national headquarters, the Urban Civil Rights Museum Experience and the NUL Institute for Race, Equity and Justice along with offices for community groups including One Hundred Black Men of New York, United Negro College Fund New York and Jazzmobile Inc. 

Retail space will feature Target and Trader Joe’s and 170 units of affordable housing will be built. The project is scheduled to be completed by January 2025.

In the 1970s members of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth were arrested for tearing down a dilapidated building in the city’s West End to call attention to the lack of affordable housing.

Some four decades later, the sisters are still working toward housing equity in that community.

The congregation announced June 18 a $2.5 million dollar gift to the Louisville Urban League’s (Louisville, KY) “A Path Forward for Louisville” project. The Louisville Urban League’s mission is to help African Americans and those on the margins attain social and economic equality and stability through direct services and advocacy.

The gift will be used to renovate 50 vacant and abandoned homes into affordable rental units over the next three years.

The sisters presented Sadiqa Reynolds, President and CEO of the Louisville Urban League, with a $750,000 check during the press conference. That money will fund the renovation of 15 homes.

The Fort Wayne Urban League’s (Ft. Wayne, IN) massive weeklong Juneteenth celebration continued Thursday evening with an event called Lawn and Learn.

Dozens spread lawn chairs across the grass on the Urban League’s offices for an interactive back-and-forth over ways to keep improving Fort Wayne and empowering communities today and the future.

With a diverse age pool in the crowd, one of the questions that generated the most discussion was how millennials and elders in the community can peacefully coexist and get work done together.

Unity within the community was a central theme of the evening. Event moderator Janiece Norfleet noted the importance of collaboration towards that goal.

“We all have a place in our society and our community, and if we’re stepping on each other’s shoes trying to be seen, the whole community suffers.”