September 4, 2025 (Harlem, NY) — Under the stewardship of its President and CEO, Marc H. Morial, the National Urban League opened the doors to the Urban League Empowerment Center (ULEC) and returned home to Harlem, the place the organization was founded over 110 years ago.

Located on the iconic 125th Street and standing 17 stories high, the $250 million center represents one of the most significant new developments in the neighborhood in decades.

"This center represents not just a building but a beacon," said Morial. "It embodies the resilience of Harlem, the strength of our movement, and the promise of economic and social justice for future generations. I am proud to see this dream realized in the very heart of our community." 

Our Urban Tech Jobs Program trains Black Americans for high-growth, entry-level jobs in IT. 

The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) is launching an urgent campaign to combat speeding in the city by distributing 3,500 yard signs and placing billboards in high-risk areas.

The campaign, which kicked off Thursday afternoon (September 11th) at the Crown Mart, near Jefferson and Martin Luther King, aims to remind drivers to slow down and drive responsibly.

“We have over 3,500-yard signs placed in the neighborhoods challenging people to be more responsible,” said James Clark, Vice President of the Division of Public Safety and Community Response at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

In addition to yard signs, the Urban League is placing billboards along streets where speeding is a regular issue. These visual reminders are part of a broader public awareness campaign to reduce speeding incidents.

The Louisville Urban League (Louisville, KY) is taking new steps to combat childhood obesity. 

In June, the Urban League announced a new initiative, “A Healthier Path Forward." A grant enabled the organization to open its application process, looking for innovators who could help solve what CEO Lyndon Pryor called a multi-pronged issue. 

He said childhood obesity disproportionately affects children in the West End.

“There are a whole host of different things – finances, poverty – lots of things, even if you just wanted to take one issue," Pryor said. 

The application process will last five weeks long, and at the end of its search, six innovators will receive more than $200,000 to provide a solution to childhood obesity that suits Louisville’s needs.

The National Urban League was founded in 1910 to respond to the social and economic changes brought by the Great Migration of Black people from the rural South to northern cities. The Tacoma Urban League was founded in 1968, and in 1976, the chapter dedicated a new building, becoming the first affiliate in the nation to build and own its own facility. Now, nearly 50 years later, Desireé Wilkins Finch is stepping onto the shoulders of Thomas Dixon, the founder of Tacoma Urban League (Tacoma, WA), and the CEOs who came after him to build upon an energy of empowerment and possibility. The Tacoma Urban League has long been a beacon for the community, serving families and transforming lives. On Friday, September 19, the organization will celebrate the grand opening of its newly remodeled space, continuing a history of legacy and liberation through financial empowerment that has defined its work for decades. 

NEW YORK (September 14, 2025) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial today called on Fox News Channel to fire Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade over his shocking remarks about murdering homeless people.

"Kilmeade's comments reveal a stunning lack of compassion and indefensible ignorance about homelessness and mental illness," Morial said. "It's doubly offensive that he would make them at a rare moment when leaders from all points on the political spectrum have urged a halt to incendiary political rhetoric."

Following a successful first year, in which 31 Hartford businesses each received a $2,500 grant, year two will introduce expanded grant amounts of $2,500 to $5,000, along with new dedicated staff to strengthen outreach, technical assistance, and program coordination. A total of more than $370,000 will be invested this year to help Hartford residents start, stabilize, or strengthen their dream of entrepreneurship and increase business activity within local neighborhood to create jobs, build capacity, and attract future investments.

On a picture-perfect summer day, hundreds of children and their parents attended an event in District Heights, Md., on Saturday, Aug. 23, which helped families gear up for the return of classes with free school supplies, health screenings and vaccines and food and entertainment for all.

The event, the 13th Annual Back 2 School Health and Wellness Festival, was co-sponsored by the Greater Washington Urban League or GWUL (Washington, D.C.) and Second Baptist Church Southwest, and was held in the church’s spacious parking lot. 

George H. Lambert Jr., President and CEO, GWUL, spoke with the AFRO prior to a ribbon cutting ceremony which kicked off the day, and reflected on how much the event has grown over the past 13 years.