Defend Democracy. Demand Diversity. Defeat Poverty.
America is at an inflection point.
State legislatures are leading attacks on voting rights, and extremists are manipulating the legal system to limit access to higher education and the workforce.
None of this is by accident, but the National Urban League has a plan to work alongside the Urban League movement, our civil rights partners, and elected officials to create a future where every American is safe, has fundamental human rights, and can achieve their own version of the American Dream.
Building on the National Urban League empowerment goals set by President Marc H. Morial over 20 years ago, the movement is laying out a new framework of collective activism rooted in the organization’s enduring pillars of Employment, Education, Housing, Healthcare, and Justice.
Under this plan we are committed to fighting for you and working to Defend Democracy, Demand Diversity, and Defeat Poverty.
In American history, when the cries for equality and fairness grow louder, so does the resistance from those with power who are unwilling to share it.
The voter turnout of 2020 turned state legislatures into battlegrounds for the future of our Democracy. Dozens of states introduced hundreds of laws to make it harder to cast a ballot in the future. While some states have made voting easier, others have purged voter rolls, enforced stricter voter ID laws, and removed ballot boxes in the communities that need them.
We demand the full restoration of the Voting Rights Act, equitable representation in Congress and state legislatures, and an end to racially based gerrymandering.
It has been proven since the Black is Beautiful movement of the 60’s that representation is the gateway to inspiration.
Generations of medical professionals, attorneys, educators, and industry leaders have shared stories of being inspired by seeing people who look like them trailblazing in fields that were once out of our reach. Today, that progress is under attack.
From the dismantling of affirmative action to the legal threats to corporate diversity programs, forces are working to undermine the potential of people of color in America. We demand diversity, equity, and inclusion—in all aspects of American life. Our commitment is to ensure that our children and their descendants have an equitable path to success.
Racial income and wealth disparities play a significant role in creating inequalities in these areas. For a nation with a $23 trillion economy, the largest national economy in history, to have double-digit poverty levels and even morepeople teetering on the edge of financial instability is unacceptable. To address and eliminate racial income and wealth disparities, we will prioritize closing gaps in education, healthcare, housing, and the justice system.