NEW YORK (September 8, 2026) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to the death of Greater Phoenix Urban League President and CEO George Dean:

"George Dean's decades of leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to equity transformed lives and strengthened communities across Arizona and throughout the Urban League Movement.

"George was a devoted servant leader who spent more than three decades leading the Greater Phoenix Urban League and more than 25 years as an Urban League executive. He served as President and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Urban League beginning in 1992, after previously leading Urban League affiliates in Sacramento, California, and Omaha, Nebraska. Throughout his tenure, he guided the organization with fiscal accountability, community responsiveness, and a steadfast commitment to expanding opportunity for underserved communities.

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Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

New York City’s troubling decline in reading scores, despite one of the most ambitious literacy reform efforts in the nation, is a wakeup call for the entire nation.

Across the country, reading achievement continues to decline. Nearly 40 percent of fourth graders read below the basic level and roughly a third of eighth graders are reading below basic, the highest share ever recorded.

Taken together, these numbers reveal a national literacy crisis that threatens economic opportunity, educational equity, and our nation's future competitiveness.

See how the MOU Marc H. Morial signed with the Isaiah Institute and Dillard University will positively impact voters.

16 months after a devastating EF3 tornado tore through North St. Louis, transforming a staple neighborhood retail plaza into a mound of rubble, new plans are emerging to turn the cleared dirt lot into a multi-million dollar community anchor.

The tornado destroyed the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis's (St, Louis, MO) strip plaza on Page Boulevard, forcing a complete demolition of the unrenovatable structure. On Monday, the property sits entirely vacant. Across the street, scaffolding remains visible on the organization's 98-year-old headquarters as workers continue finishing the final phases of storm repair.

As recovery continues, leadership is looking forward, laying out an ambitious roadmap to revive the corridor with retail, senior housing, and new single-family homes.

Urban League President and CEO Michael McMillian says the organization is finalizing insurance negotiations over the next few months to pave the way for a new retail center.

Community leaders, elected officials, educators, faith leaders, and advocates gathered at the Chicago Urban League (Chicago, IL) to officially launch National Civility Month, reaffirming their collective commitment to advancing respect, meaningful dialogue, and safer communities throughout Cook County and the State of Illinois.

Hosted by the Chicago Urban League, the press conference brought together influential voices from government, education, faith-based organizations, and community leadership to emphasize the critical role civility plays in reducing violence, strengthening relationships, and fostering healthier, more connected communities.

More than six decades after Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and declared his dream for a more just America, thousands gathered in Washington on Friday to warn that voting rights and other freedoms he fought and died for are once again under threat.

Civil rights leaders invoked the same demands he made from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial two and a half generations ago: that the fight for equality remains unfinished.

The event, called “March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote,” drew several thousand people to the National Mall, including union members, students, members of Black Greek-letter organizations, and attendees of all ages who traveled from across the country.

Homeowners in a historic Kansas City neighborhood are already benefiting from a Jackson County-funded program aimed at keeping them in their homes while boosting their property values and stabilizing their neighborhoods.

Gwendolyn Grant, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City (Kansas City, MO), said its Operation Rebuild program means funding for more than 40 homes in the Prospect Avenue corridor alongside job training for young adults who may be underemployed or who have been involved with the justice system.

“We want to expand this out for the next three years and get all of these houses uplifted, increase property values and stabilize the communities with owner-occupied residents rather than absentee landlords,” Grant said Friday (August 28th) in front of homes on Lockridge Avenue in the Santa Fe neighborhood.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 28, 2026) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial delivered a forceful call to action Friday at the commemoration of the historic March on Washington, urging Americans to confront assaults on voting rights, civil rights, and democratic institutions through civic engagement, economic action, and political participation.