National Urban League
Encyclopedia
The National Urban League (NUL), formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights
organization based in New York City
that advocates on behalf of African American
s and against racial discrimination in the United States
. It is the oldest and largest community-based organization of its kind in the nation. Its current President is Marc Morial
.
on September 29, 1910 by Ruth Standish Baldwin and Dr. George Edmund Haynes, among others. It merged with the Committee for the Improvement of Industrial Conditions Among Negroes in New York (founded in New York in 1906) and the National League for the Protection of Colored Women (founded in 1905), and was renamed the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes.
In 1918, Eugene K. Jones
took the leadership of the organization. Under his direction, the League significantly expanded its multifaceted campaign to crack the barriers to black employment, spurred first by the boom years of the 1920s, and then, by the desperate years of the Great Depression
.
In 1920 the organization took the present name, the National Urban League. The mission of the Urban League movement is "to enable African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights."
In 1949, Lester Granger
was appointed Executive Secretary and led the NUL's effort to support the March on Washington proposed by A. Phillip Randolph, Bayard Rustin
and A. J. Muste
to protest racial discrimination in defense work and the Armed Forces
. During the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
, Granger prevailed in his insistence that the NUL continue its strategy of "education and persuasion".
In 1961, Whitney Young
became executive director amidst the expansion of activism in the civil rights movement, which provoked a change for the League. Young substantially expanded the League's fund-raising ability- and made the League a full partner in the civil rights movement. In 1963, the NUL hosted the planning meetings of A. Philip Randolph
, Martin Luther King, Jr.
, and other civil rights leaders for the March on Washington
. During Young's ten-year tenure at the League, he initiated programs such as "Street Academy," an alternative education system to prepare high school dropouts for college; and "New Thrust," an effort to help local black leaders identify and solve community problems. Young also pushed for federal aid to cities.
In 1994, Hugh Price
was appointed to the League's top office at a critical moment for the League, for Black America, and for the nation as a whole.
In 2003, Marc Morial
was appointed the league's eighth President and Chief Executive Officer. Morial has worked to reenergize the movement's diverse constituencies by building on the strengths of the NUL's 95-year-old legacy and increasing the organization's profile both locally and nationally.
The National Urban League is an organizational member of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
, which advocates gun control. In 1989, it was the beneficiary of all proceeds from the Stop the Violence Movement
and their hip hop
single, "Self Destruction".
In February 2010 the Urban League of Essex County, New Jersey
announced a partnership with The National Association of Professional Women to form a national "Open Doorways" project. It is designed to offer inner-city middle-school girls a chance to work with professional women as role models.
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
organization based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that advocates on behalf of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s and against racial discrimination in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the oldest and largest community-based organization of its kind in the nation. Its current President is Marc Morial
Marc Morial
Marc Haydel Morial is an American political and civic leader and the current president of the National Urban League. Morial served as mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1994 to 2002. He is married to Michelle Miller, who has won awards as a CBS News Correspondent.- Early life and educations...
.
History
The Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negroes was founded in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on September 29, 1910 by Ruth Standish Baldwin and Dr. George Edmund Haynes, among others. It merged with the Committee for the Improvement of Industrial Conditions Among Negroes in New York (founded in New York in 1906) and the National League for the Protection of Colored Women (founded in 1905), and was renamed the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes.
In 1918, Eugene K. Jones
Eugene K. Jones
Eugene Kinckle Jones was one the seven founders of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Cornell University in 1906...
took the leadership of the organization. Under his direction, the League significantly expanded its multifaceted campaign to crack the barriers to black employment, spurred first by the boom years of the 1920s, and then, by the desperate years of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
In 1920 the organization took the present name, the National Urban League. The mission of the Urban League movement is "to enable African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights."
In 1949, Lester Granger
Lester Granger
Lester Blackwell Granger was an African American civic leader who organized the Los Angeles, California, chapter of the National Urban League ....
was appointed Executive Secretary and led the NUL's effort to support the March on Washington proposed by A. Phillip Randolph, Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin was an American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, pacifism and non-violence, and gay rights.In the pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation , Rustin practiced nonviolence...
and A. J. Muste
A. J. Muste
The Reverend Abraham Johannes "A.J." Muste was a Dutch-born American clergyman and political activist. Muste is best remembered for his work in the labor movement, pacifist movement, and the US civil rights movement.-Early years:...
to protest racial discrimination in defense work and the Armed Forces
Armed Forces
Armed Forces is Elvis Costello's third album, his second with the Attractions, and the first to officially credit the Attractions on the cover. It was released in the UK by Radar Records and in the U.S. by Columbia in 1979...
. During the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
, Granger prevailed in his insistence that the NUL continue its strategy of "education and persuasion".
In 1961, Whitney Young
Whitney Young
Whitney Moore Young Jr. was an American civil rights leader.He spent most of his career working to end employment discrimination in the United States and turning the National Urban League from a relatively passive civil rights organization into one that aggressively fought for equitable access to...
became executive director amidst the expansion of activism in the civil rights movement, which provoked a change for the League. Young substantially expanded the League's fund-raising ability- and made the League a full partner in the civil rights movement. In 1963, the NUL hosted the planning meetings of A. Philip Randolph
A. Philip Randolph
Asa Philip Randolph was a leader in the African American civil-rights movement and the American labor movement. He organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first predominantly Negro labor union. In the early civil-rights movement, Randolph led the March on Washington...
, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, and other civil rights leaders for the March on Washington
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was the largest political rally for human rights in United States history and called for civil and economic rights for African Americans. It took place in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr...
. During Young's ten-year tenure at the League, he initiated programs such as "Street Academy," an alternative education system to prepare high school dropouts for college; and "New Thrust," an effort to help local black leaders identify and solve community problems. Young also pushed for federal aid to cities.
In 1994, Hugh Price
Hugh Bernard Price
Hugh Bernard Price was a U.S. activist. He served as the President of the National Urban League from 1994 to 2003.Price is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity....
was appointed to the League's top office at a critical moment for the League, for Black America, and for the nation as a whole.
In 2003, Marc Morial
Marc Morial
Marc Haydel Morial is an American political and civic leader and the current president of the National Urban League. Morial served as mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1994 to 2002. He is married to Michelle Miller, who has won awards as a CBS News Correspondent.- Early life and educations...
was appointed the league's eighth President and Chief Executive Officer. Morial has worked to reenergize the movement's diverse constituencies by building on the strengths of the NUL's 95-year-old legacy and increasing the organization's profile both locally and nationally.
Current status
Today, more than 100 local affiliates of the National Urban League are located in 35 states and the District of Columbia.The National Urban League is an organizational member of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence , and the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence , its sister organization, are two parts of a national, non-profit gun control advocacy organization.-History:...
, which advocates gun control. In 1989, it was the beneficiary of all proceeds from the Stop the Violence Movement
Stop the Violence Movement
The Stop the Violence Movement was begun by rapper KRS-One in 1989 in response to violence in the hip hop and African American communities.In 1988, during a concert by Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, a young fan was killed in a fight. The killing occurred shortly after Scott La Rock, a...
and their hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
single, "Self Destruction".
In February 2010 the Urban League of Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
announced a partnership with The National Association of Professional Women to form a national "Open Doorways" project. It is designed to offer inner-city middle-school girls a chance to work with professional women as role models.
Presidents
The Presidents (or Executive Directors) of the National Urban League have been:| Presidents | From | To | Background |
| George Edmund Haynes | 1910 | 1918 | social worker |
| Eugene Kinckle Jones Eugene K. Jones Eugene Kinckle Jones was one the seven founders of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Cornell University in 1906... |
1918 | 1940 | civil rights activist |
| Lester Blackwell Granger Lester Granger Lester Blackwell Granger was an African American civic leader who organized the Los Angeles, California, chapter of the National Urban League .... |
1941 | 1961 | civic leader |
| Whitney Moore Young, Jr. Whitney Young Whitney Moore Young Jr. was an American civil rights leader.He spent most of his career working to end employment discrimination in the United States and turning the National Urban League from a relatively passive civil rights organization into one that aggressively fought for equitable access to... |
1961 | 1971 | civil rights activist |
| Vernon Eulion Jordan, Jr. | 1971 | 1981 | attorney |
| John Edward Jacob John Edward Jacob John Edward Jacob was a U.S. civil rights leader. He served as the president of the National Urban League between 1982 and 1994.... |
1982 | 1994 | civil rights activist |
| Hugh Bernard Price Hugh Bernard Price Hugh Bernard Price was a U.S. activist. He served as the President of the National Urban League from 1994 to 2003.Price is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.... |
1994 | 2002 | attorney foundation executive |
| Milton James Little, Jr. (Acting President) |
2003 | 2003 | social worker administrator |
| Marc Haydel Morial Marc Morial Marc Haydel Morial is an American political and civic leader and the current president of the National Urban League. Morial served as mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1994 to 2002. He is married to Michelle Miller, who has won awards as a CBS News Correspondent.- Early life and educations... |
2003 | Current | attorney former Mayor of New Orleans |