Many St. Louisans lament the fact that residents of underserved neighborhoods often must travel miles to find services, stores and dining opportunities.

Among them is Michael P. McMillan, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) President and CEO.

“Why do people have to shop all over the region for things we should be able to buy right here?” McMillan asked during a May 31, 2024, press conference with Congresswoman Cori Bush.

“If we do more of that, we can also create more Black-owned businesses.”

Bush announced a $750,000 federal outlay for the renovations of capital improvements of the Urban League Plaza, just east of the Urban League headquarters at 1408 N. Kingshighway and saluted the work of the organization.

“The Urban League has been a pillar of strength and support for the St. Louis community,” she said.

The playoffs are over for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but that means one thing: it’s time for some community service.

“Urban League has been a great partner of ours for a number of years, the teachers are really phenomenal, and the kids are really eager to learn,” said Erin Oldfield  with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

One of The Urban League’s initiatives is to offer after-school and summer classes as well as tutoring programs for kids in northeast Oklahoma City.

However, there was one problem, at least from the Thunder’s perspective. “But we couldn’t help but notice that this space has needed a little bit of love,” said Oldfield.

After seeing the kids and the work being done in the room, the Thunder organization made the call.

“Can we come out and do some work on it? And of course, we didn’t say no,” said Dr. Valerie Thompson, President and CEO of The Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City (Oklahoma City, OK).

Join us for a powerful rally hosted by the National Urban League and National Action Network. Stand in solidarity with the fight for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) across the nation! 

This rally takes on special significance as it will be held directly in front of the New York headquarters of billionaire hedge fund manager, Bill Ackman. Ackman is waging war against DEI. He is relentlessly working to turn back the clock on progress, most recently targeting Harvard's first Black president, Claudine Gay, with baseless allegations which contributed to her unjust termination. Let's use our voices to show that we won't tolerate such attacks on progress! 

Two Urban League Affiliate CEOs made a powerful impression on Capitol Hill this week! Dr. Seanelle Hawkins, Urban League of Rochester (Rochester, NY) and William Barnes, Birmingham Urban League (Birmingham, AL) traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in a panel discussion titled "Building a Community Safety Agenda: What Does the Evidence Say?" The event, co-hosted by the National Urban League, the Center for Policing Equity, The Futures Institute, and the Community Safety Working Group, focused on alternative approaches to community safety that prioritize investment in youth, violence intervention, and crisis response.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League
  
 
“This new law is solely vengeance and lacks any evidence of effectiveness and is aimed at a despised and powerless population that already is subject to dozens of draconian post-conviction collateral consequences. There is virtually no evidence that increasing punishments will have any impact on sexual recidivism.” – St. Francis College sociology professor Emily Horowitz

Not to be outdone by other southern states trying to regress to the Jim Crow era, my home state of Louisiana is trying to regress to the Medieval era.

A barbaric proposal to allow judges to sentence certain convicted sex offenders to surgical castration passed the legislature and awaits Gov. Landry’s signature. Louisiana would become the first state with such a law, joining the ranks of nations like Pakistan and Nigeria.

By Bernard E. Anderson, PhD
Whitney M. Young Professor Emeritus,
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Chief Economic Advisor, National Urban League

With an unexpectedly high 292,000 jobs produced in May, the nation’s economy remains on the path of modest growth in the midst of sticky inflation, with a better balance between job openings, hiring, and labor turnover.

NEW YORK (June 5, 2024) – National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals suspension of Fearless Fund’s Strivers Grant Contest:

"Two Trump-appointed judges have made a mockery of the principle of “equal rights” with a ruling that reinforces racial exclusion and upholds white privilege.

"Edward Blum’s sham organization, The American Alliance for Equal Rights, sued on behalf of anonymous white women whom it could not proved were harmed, and achieved a victory for white people under a law intended to protect Black Americans from discrimination.

"The sad fact is Edward Blum has been pitching a tantrum since losing a congressional election to a Black opponent more than 30 years ago, and apparently some people still share his terror of competing on an even playing field.

Is the Supreme Court beyond rules? See how concerning flags flown at Justice Alito’s homes raise questions about unethical conduct & accountability. | Take action! It’s time to stand together against lawmakers who are pushing an anti-DEI agenda in schools and colleges, starting with the Governor of Texas. | Get vaxxed for free. Summer is almost here! Set an appointment before your next vacation to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine at a location near you. | Meet us in New Orleans! Get ready for the most epic experience of the summer! Register now to join us for #NULConf24 on July 24-27.