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Loyola University has started a new program focusing on racism and racial disparities in society.

"What we are going to do moving forward is center race and all of our work in ways that haven't been done before," said Malik Henfield, founding Dean of the Loyola University Chicago Institute for Racial Justice.

The program will use an interdisciplinary approach to research and try to develop solutions for racial inequities that exist not only in the criminal justice system  but also in education, public health and public housing. A key component is their approach to the community.

"What we're really trying to do is figure out how can we combine our research ideas with the practical lives of Chicago and its citizens, and come together in a unified way to really disrupt the current system," Henfield said.

The Chicago Urban League (Chicago, IL) is one of Loyola's many community partners.

Hundreds of funeral workers across Middle Tennessee are getting a special thank you for the work they’ve put in amid COVID-19. 

It’s all part of a new project, celebrating what organizers are calling the unsung heroes of the pandemic.

Now, a coalition of Greater Nashville Community Pastors is partnering with the Urban League of Middle Tennessee (Nashville, TN) and Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital to make sure the efforts of funeral home workers don’t go unnoticed.

“There was one group, that in my opinion, has been an unsung hero throughout this entire pandemic, said First Baptist Church Murfreesboro Pastor James McCarroll. “While others were able to remain at safe distances, those who work in the funeral home and crematory industry have born the responsibly of dealing directly with the bodies of those that have been lost and the families of those who have lost their loved ones in the crisis.”

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris announced a $2.5 million economic relief plan to help local restaurant workers.

“The ball is in our court and action has to happen among those of us who are in this room virtually speaking,” said Harris.

During a Shelby County Commission Committee hearing, the Harris team introduced “Share the Tab II” -- a plan which would offer a $1,000 relief benefit for restaurant workers financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes as the Shelby County Health Department limited local restaurants to 25% capacity in its latest health directive.

The fund would be administered through the Memphis Urban League (Memphis, TN) if approved by the commission at the upcoming session, Monday (January 11th).

The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, recently donated $20,000 to Urban League of the Upstate (Greenville, SC).

The donation will be used to support the Right Step Juvenile Diversion Program, which has a goal to positively impact the lives and behaviors of youth who are on the verge of entering the juvenile justice system. The program may provide stabilization and support to youth in the community through counseling, education and home/school visits.

“We are so excited about the endless possibilities afforded to us because of the generosity of the TD Charitable Foundation,” said Sean Dogan, Interim President and CEO of Urban League of the Upstate. “Hope is being restored, skills are being learned and families are being positively impacted.”

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