By Marc H. Morial (To Be Equal #19) – Last week, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York enlisted in the war on urban unemployment with the introduction of the Urban Jobs Act. Gillibrand’s Urban Jobs Act is the Senate version of House bill, H.R. 683, which was introduced earlier this year by New York […]
Housing Counseling Budget Cut – An Assault on the Middle Class
Marc H. Morial (To Be Equal#18) – If there was any doubt that middle and working class Americans are paying more than their fair share in the deficit reduction battles, the budget cuts recently enacted to prevent a government shutdown make it absolutely clear. Everything from Pell grants for college tuition to heating assistance for […]
National Urban League Trains African Americans for Corporate Boards
Marc H. Morial (To Be Equal#15) – What do American Express, Merck, Xerox, Darden Restaurants, and Citibank have in common? All are Fortune 500 companies headed by African Americans: Ken Chenault, Chairman and CEO of American Express; Ken Frazier, President and CEO of Merck; Ursula Burns, Chairwoman and CEO of Xerox – the first African […]
The State of Black America: Washington Are you Listening?
By Marc H. Morial (To Be Equal #14) – “Welcome to America in the second decade of the 21st century. An army of long-term unemployed workers is spread across the land, the human fallout from the Great Recession and long years of misguided economic policies.” From Bob Herbert’s final column for the New York Times […]
State of Black America Town Hall to Explore Jobs of the Future
Marc H. Morial (To Be Equal#12) – Next Thursday, I invite you to join the debate about the number one issue facing the nation – the deep and persistent jobs crisis that has been especially devastating in urban communities of color. As part of the National Urban League’s annual Legislative Policy Conference in Washington, DC, […]
For The State of Black America, The Issue Is Jobs
By Marc H. Morial (To Be Equal #11) – From March 29th through the 31st, the National Urban League brings its fight for urban jobs to Capitol Hill with its 2011 Legislative Policy Conference. This year’s summit will make the case for targeted action to tackle the persistent unemployment crisis in Black America. Dozens of […]
Mayor Bing Shoots a 3 Pointer – To Be Equal
By Marc H. Morial – “I learned long ago to let my game do the talking and focus on the bottom line, not the headlines. That’s why tonight I believe we must come together with one voice and one vision to make Detroit a city that works.” Detroit Mayor Dave Bing A few years ago, […]
R. Sargent Shriver: Architect of the Great Society
By Marc H. Morial (To Be Equal#5) -“Break mirrors…Shatter the glass. In our society that is so self-absorbed, begin to look less at yourself and more at each other. Learn more about the face of your neighbor and less about your own.” R. Sargent Shriver On January 18th, the National Urban League, America and all […]
Green Empowerment Zones Mean Jobs for Communities of Color
By Marc H. Morial – It is time for policy makers on both sides of the progressive-conservative divide to stop debating and start enacting policies to create jobs, especially for those suffering the most from the persisting great recession. One way to do that is to create green empowerment zones that would generate urban jobs, […]