“Ferguson was used by some of America’s enemies and critics to deflect attention from their shortcomings overseas; to undermine our efforts to promote justice around the world … But America is special not because we’re perfect; America is special because we work to address our problems, to make our union more perfect.  We fight for more justice.  We fight to cure what ails us.  We fight for our ideals, and we’re willing to criticize ourselves when we fall short.  And we address our differences in the open space of democracy -- with respect for the rule of law; with a place for people of every race and religion; and with an unyielding belief that people who love their country can change it.”  -- President Barack Obama   

“So our people not only have to be reeducated to the importance of supporting black business, but the black man himself has to be made aware of the importance of going into business. And once you and I go into business, we own and operate at least the businesses in our community. What we will be doing is developing a situation wherein we will actually be able to create employment for the people in the community.” – Malcolm X, “The Ballot or the Bullet,” April 12, 1964 

“This is not a moment, but a movement.” – Black Lives Matter Organization
 
While it is obvious to many of us that all lives matter, it is not so obvious that in our great nation founded on the principles of equality and justice that Black lives matter.

“This is an important tipping point…a transformation from a mostly white baby boomer culture to the more globalized multi-ethnic country that we are becoming.” William Frey, senior demographer, the Brookings Institution

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”  Abraham Lincoln

A recent CBS/New York Times poll found that 25 percent of Americans and 45 percent of registered Republican voters believe that President Obama was not born in the United States.  Another 22 percent of Republican voters say they don’t know.  For the record, President Obama was born on August 4, 1961 at Kapi’olani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii.  His birth certificate documents it.  Hawaii officials confirm it.  And no one seriously doubts it except for a vocal minority of “birthers” who will do or say anything to get America’s first Black President out of the White House.   

“I pledge to responsibly commit my time and talent to ensure that the nation is empowered to eliminate racial gaps and disparities in housing, education, employment and healthcare by 2025…” 

This week, the National Urban League officially kicks-off its centennial celebration and takes its century-long fight for equal opportunity and empowerment to the next level.  The centerpiece of our celebration is a bold, new social mobilization campaign which we are calling I AM EMPOWERED.  Today, we are launching a new, interactive website:  www.iamempowered.com, which asks citizens across the country to join us in a pledge of time and talent to achieve four Empowerment Goals by 2025:

The National Urban League commends President Obama for his nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to succeed retiring Judge David Souter as the next Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  A current federal Court of Appeals judge in New York, Judge Sotomayor has also served with distinction as a federal district judge, an Assistant District Attorney, a corporate lawyer, a university professor and an advocate for the rights of low-income and minority people.  We believe that her intellectual heft along with the breadth of her judicial and life experiences make her eminently qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court. 

After the longest and hardest fought presidential campaign in American history, the votes are now in and Barack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States.  The National Urban League and its affiliates congratulate President-elect Obama, Vice-President-elect, Joe Biden, and their families for turning what began as an improbable journey into an historic victory for their party and our country.  We welcome the new vision they bring to Washington and pledge to work with them to tackle the nation’s deepening domestic challenges, including the epidemic of home foreclosures, the crisis in public education as well as rising unemployment and poverty that have hit middle class and urban Americans especially hard in recent years. 

I have said it before and I will say it again: Economic empowerment is the civil rights struggle of the 21st Century.

The civil rights movement of the1960s helped the African-American community take great strides in terms of political and social empowerment. Doors long closed to people of color were pried open with the enactment of civil rights legislation, affirmative action and other reforms designed to give them a voice on Capitol Hill, in academia and corporate America.

President Bush’s recent signing of the Voting Rights Act reauthorization ended a long and difficult struggle to ensure the renewal of this very important statue—considered to be the centerpiece of the 1960s civil rights movement.

Originally enacted in 1965, the Voting Rights Act has enfranchised millions of African- American citizens by eliminating discriminatory practices, such as literacy tests, poll taxes and other means, to discourage political participation. It also served to open up the political arena for blacks seeking elected office.

It was the National Urban League’s top legislative priority for three years to get expiring provisions of the historic act extended 25 years.