One hundred years ago today, the National Urban League was founded by George Edmund Haynes and Ruth Standish Baldwin for the purpose of creating new avenues of economic empowerment and leadership among American communities of color.
“It’s been a remarkable century for the Urban League Movement,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “We’ve made great strides, opened many doors and turned a climate of fear into a climate of hope. But more work remains to be done, and we are guided by the spirit of determination and dedication that moved our founders.”
In honor of this momentous occasion, Marc Morial, alongside Marvin Odum, President of Shell Oil Company, will sponsor the National Urban League Founders’ Day Reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at Le Parker Meridien Hotel, 119 W. 56th St. in New York. Actress and comedienne Phyllis Yvonne Stickney is the mistress of ceremonies, and entertainment will be provided by jazz flutist Sherry Winston.
Leading up to NUL’s Founders Day Celebration, Politic365.com had a unique opportunity to sit down the Chanelle Hardy, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the organization’s Policy Institute. She shared with us her vision for the organization’s future; laid out some of their top priorities – of which broadband adoption and clean energy proliferation figured high on the list; and described for us the exciting work NUL is doing with their I AM EMPOWERED campaign.
Chanelle Hardy Interview from blackweb20 on Vimeo.
About the Author
Kristal High
Kristal Lauren High co-founded and serves as Editor in Chief of Politic365, a multi-media publication focused exclusively on politics and public policy from a multicultural point of view.
Prior to launching Politic365, Ms. High developed an expertise in broadband adoption among minority, low-income and underserved populations through her work with the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies’ Media & Technology Institute.
A former Advisory Board Member of Blogging While Brown, the premier blogging conference dedicated to education, collaboration, and innovation among bloggers of color, Ms. High co-founded and chaired Innovation Generation, a non-partisan coalition of entrepreneurs, political leaders, technologists, academics and members of the new media to mobilize leadership around the transformative power of broadband and its ability to change lives. Ms. High also founded the blog Pocketbook Protest to address the importance of minorities leveraging their economic power to achieve their desired political and social ends, and has been a guest speaker at Netroots Nation, Geek.Me and NewME.
For her efforts online in advocacy and web publishing, Ms. High received the 2012 Digital Renaissance Award from the New York Urban League Young Professionals, the NAACP’s Leadership 500 Chairman’s Leadership Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Black Broadcasters Association.
Ms. High obtained her Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Davidson College, where she was inducted into the leadership fraternity Omicron Delta Kappa. While at Davidson, she majored in Theatre with a concentration in African American Studies. Ms. High received her Juris Doctor from Washington and Lee School of Law, where she specialized in civil and international human rights, and media and entertainment law.
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Thanks for sharing Krystal, great read. I recently became a member of my local Urban League. Though I've long been aware of the UL, this is the first time I invested in membership for my company. This is also the first I've heard of this campaign, I must investigate the local participation (thx for the homework!?!
Glad to be here; just found your site, love it! #Gr8Job
So very glad you enjoy homework! On a serious note, I think the I AM Empowered campaign provides a great template for the ways in which enterprising associations of people can empower others, particularly with respect to issues like economic development, education and healthcare. Looking forward to hearing about the ways you get involved at the local level!