NEW YORK (November 18, 2022) -- National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stepping down from her leadership role:

“It has been an honor and privilege to collaborate with Speaker Pelosi since her earliest days in Congress, when I was a Louisiana State Senator, throughout my two terms as New Orleans Mayor and the last two decades with the National Urban League.  She has been a role model for a generation of leaders and an icon for women everywhere.

The Bank's $5 million commitment includes continued support of the Urban League Entrepreneurship Center Program along with other workforce development initiatives and programs

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League
 

“I am angry at the chorus of armchair pundits who created a dominant media narrative around the red wave with little evidence of it. I’m furious about that because for those of us who do the work on the ground to persuade [people] to vote, it was actually a challenging narrative environment when voters and all of us are being told, “This is going to be a red wave or a red tsunami,” as if, for instance, women voters had amnesia from the summer around the overturning of Roe v. Wade and were just focused on the economy and inflation. Not true, it turns out. Or Black voters, yet again, basically the conscience of America, turning out and showing up and really voting our values around racial justice and freedom and resilience.” – Dorian Warren, co-president, Community Change and Community Change Action

AUSTIN (Nov. 14, 2022) – The Austin Area Urban League (Austin, TX) was at Austin Fashion Week this weekend.

The event, already in its 14th year, is the fourth largest in the country. It occurred in The Domain from Friday, Nov. 11th through Sunday, Nov. 13th.

This year, the Urban League provided a grant that enabled ten Black designers the opportunity to show their collections at Austin Fashion Week.

Selena Gray of the Urban League said, “We want to be able to support the designers by providing business support services through the SBA community navigator pilot program, which is offered through our Entrepreneurship Empowerment Center.”

KNOXVILLE (Nov. 14, 2022) – The Knoxville Area Urban League partnered with the University of Tennessee Medical Center for a community health fair held on Thursday, Nov. 10th.

One of the purposes of the event was to screen people for health concerns and help give them resources to resolve them, especially those in the Black community. Some of the screenings specifically target health issues that are more prominent within the Black community, such as high blood pressure and carotid ultrasound screenings.

This event is the most helpful to community, as the carotid screenings aren’t usually done at health fairs, even though they are incredibly important.

ELIZABETH (Nov. 14, 2022) – The Union County Urban League (Elizabeth, NJ) had their Equal Opportunity Dinner on Thursday (Nov. 10th) and honored the company Exothermic Molding.

The organization is a third-generation family-owned company that provides specialty plastics molding and additive manufacturing for various industries. It’s been in business for fifty years.

The Urban League honored the company with their Employer Partner Award, which is an award given to organizations that assist the League in their mission to provide underserved communities social and economic opportunities.

CHICAGO (Nov. 14, 2022) – The Chicago Urban League (Chicago, IL) held their signature event on Saturday, Nov. 5th.

The Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner, in its 61st year, was held at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk, with over 1800 people in attendance. It also helps raise funding for the League in their efforts to help the underserved in Chicago, from finding affordable housing to help expand their business.

This year, the event helped raise $2 million dollars for the Urban League.

President and CEO of the Urban League, Karen Freeman-Wilson, was thrilled.

Honoring Rev. Calvin Butts. Read more on the legacy left behind by an iconic leader in #TheMovement who used power, politics, and faith to create change.| Thank you! Kudos to every voter, volunteer, election worker, and others who upheld our democracy this week. Next up: Georgia runoff election on Dec. 6. | Your health is a priority. The holiday season is officially here and before planning your family gatherings, take a moment to get boosted. | The countdown is on! Grab your favorite sneakers and join us at #EOD2022 as we honor some of the nation’s most influential people. Get your tickets now. | This weekend! We’re excited for the world premiere of a film that spotlights Marc H. Morial and Janet Murguía. Here’s how you can see it. | National Apprenticeship Week. Here’s how we’re celebrating the value of Registered Apprenticeship for supporting and rebuilding our economy. | Don’t miss a moment. Tune in now to the State of Black America podcast to catch up on updates on social justice and all things policy.

Marc H. Morial 
President and CEO
National Urban League

 

“Reverend Butts worked more effectively than any other leader at the intersection of power, politics, and faith in New York. He understood the role of faith in our lives, especially in the Black community. But he also understood power and how to wield it and how to demand power from those who often sought to hoard it. And so he was a pragmatist, he was a realist, but he was also a dreamer.” – Ford Foundation President Darren Walker

Last year, during a town hall on vaccines hosted by the Black Coalition Against COVID-19, of which the National Urban League is a co-founding partner, the Rev. Calvin Butts stated succinctly and powerfully the role of the church in Black communities, and the power of the church to shape those communities.