KNOXVILLE (July 17, 2023) – The Knoxville Area Urban League (Knoxville, TN) is already in back-to-school mode.

The Urban League will be hosting its yearly “Shoes for School” event on Saturday, Aug. 5th. The event, which has been going on for over twenty years, provides students with shoes and school supplies.

At last year’s event, the Urban League was able to give out more than 1,700 pairs of shoes, along with about 3,000 sets of school supplies.

MILWAUKEE (July 17, 2023) – The Greater Milwaukee Urban League (Milwaukee, WI) has just started a program for young drivers.

The Urban League will now teach students under 18 how to drive at almost no cost to the students.

The Urban League began this program last week.

While the Urban League has been teaching Milwaukee residents how to drive for over ten years, this is the first time that it is providing these lessons for high school students.

The cost for these classes is based on the student’s family income.

Aniya Stroyer, a 16-year-old student, is excited to be taking the classes.

SPRINGFIELD (July 17, 2023) – The Urban League of Springfield (Springfield, MA) has resumed its 101-year-old children’s camp.

Camp Atwater, which was founded in1921 by Rev. William N. DeBerry, had to halt operation due to the pandemic. Since then, the camp has opened with limited activities for the past two years.

This year, the camp has resumed full-time operations, due to federal funding secured by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, in the amount of $450,000. The Urban League, under now-retired CEO Henry Thomas III’s was able to use that funding for much needed infrastructure improvement at the camp.

Thomas’ daughter, Shadae-Harris-Thomas, is the camp’s new executive director.

No excuse for white nationalism. See how Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s recent comments are part of an extremist campaign to gaslight Americans on racism. | Pull up virtually. Get ready for a taste of #NULConf23 online and from the comfort of anywhere. Register now for FREE. | You don’t want to miss it! We’ve gathered some of the nation’s top policymakers, influencers, and biz experts for #NULConf23. Register today. | Get ready to unwind! The ultimate conference experience is days way. Join us for giveaways, celeb meet-ups, free headshots + more. Here’s what to expect. | Calling all entrepreneurs! Take your business to the next level with a full day of workshops, networking, and a luncheon, all for free. | It’s a family affair! Register now for our FREE Community & Family Day extravaganza for fun, games, school supplies + much more in Houston. | Know what to pack? We’ve curated a guide with everything you need to know to prep and pack for the National Urban League Conference. Check it out.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League
 
 

“Tuberville’s attempt to downplay and erase the racism of actual racists echoes attempts to downplay the violence of the largely White mob on January 6. More broadly, it’s part of the attempt to erase and downplay the role of race, racism and racists in American history and culture … While Tuberville might not be a student of history, he certainly has learned well the lesson of rewriting history, downplaying racism and absolving White nationalists.” -- Nia-Malika Henderson 

BUFFALO (July 10, 2023) – In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action, the Buffalo Urban League (Buffalo, NY) has once again re-committed itself to helping the community’s youth.

President of the Urban League, Thomas Beauford, Jr., said that the ruling was “a setback for the United States.”

“Removing affirmative action now leaves students without a tool that helped them fight for equity in the admissions process,” he said.

Beauford said that a real danger that comes from the Supreme Court ruling is “that other institutions don’t take this decision as a cue to start to remove some of the DI (diversity equity inclusion) initiatives that currently exist,” which is what he and others are ensuring against.

ELYRIA (July 10, 2023) – The Lorain County Urban League (Elyria, OH) is hosting an open mic for its Project Ready students.

The event, taking place on Tuesday, July 18th at the Urban League, from 7:30 PM – 10 PM.

Project Ready is an Urban League program that empowers high school students by providing them exposure to college, life, and career.

Achilles Morales, Director of Education and Youth Development at the Urban League, said, “We are thrilled to host the Open Mic Night as part of our Project Ready Summer Program. This event is an opportunity for youth to  showcase their unique talents and passions.”

CHATTANOOGA (July 10, 2023) – The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN) is now accepting applications for its Project Ready mentor program.

The program, called Project Ready Mentor: National Achievers Society, is one of the Urban League’s signature programs, as it focuses on various areas of development, in including academic, mentoring, cultural and leadership development. It seeks to prepare high school minority students not only for college, but for life and careers.

ST. LOUIS (July 10, 2023) – The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) joined other community groups in welcoming the North America Building Trades Unions at an event stop.

The event, which was organized by the Missouri Works Initiative, the Missouri AFL-CIO, and the Saint Louis Building and Construction Trades Council, really emphasized the importance of unions, not only locally, but nationally.

Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League was scheduled to speak at the event but was held due to weather and flight delays. Michael P. McMillan, President and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, along with Traci Scott, Vice President of Workforce Development at the National Urban League, spoke in Morial’s place.