HR0517 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0517 LRB104 15837 MST 29049 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the National Urban League on its 115 years of service empowering African Americans and other underserved communities while helping foster a more just, equitable, and inclusive nation; and

WHEREAS, The National Urban League, founded in 1910, is a nonpartisan, historic social service and civil rights organization based in New York City that is dedicated to economic empowerment, equality, and social justice for African Americans and other historically underserved groups; and

WHEREAS, The National Urban League was founded as a multiracial, diverse grassroots campaign by Ruth Standish Baldwin and Dr. George Edmund Haynes; and

WHEREAS, Eight leaders have been at the helm of the National Urban League during its 110-year history, including George Edmund Haynes (1910-1918), Eugene Kinckle Jones (1918-1941), Lester B. Granger (1941-1961), Whitney M. Young Jr. (1961-1971), Vernon E. Jordan Jr. (1971-1981), John E. Jacob (1982-1994), Hugh B. Price (1994-2003), and Marc H. Morial (2003-Present); and

WHEREAS, These eight leaders were strengthened by an interracial board of trustees comprised of key figures from American businesses and labor unions as well as community organizations and religious and academic institutions; and

WHEREAS, The National Urban League is the oldest and largest community-based organization of its kind in the nation, providing direct services in the areas of education, health care, housing, jobs, and justice that improve the lives of more than two million people nationwide; and

WHEREAS, The employees of the National Urban League's headquarters help spearhead the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of signature programs, public policy research, and advocacy; and

WHEREAS, On its 115th anniversary, the National Urban League can look back with great pride on its extraordinary accomplishments; and

WHEREAS, The National Urban League's research arm was established in 1921 by renowned researcher Dr. Charles S. Johnson and has released numerous publications, including Opportunity: Journal of Negro Life (1923-1949), State of Black America (1976-present), and other pertinent studies documenting and elevating social consciousness; and

WHEREAS, In the 1960s, the National Urban League became a major force in the civil rights arena, working closely with A. Philip Randolph and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as many other exceptional leaders to advance civil rights, voting rights, and fair housing legislation; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the 1960s, the National Urban League saw tremendous growth in its partnership with the federal government, addressing race relations and delivering aid to urban areas, as well as making improvements in housing, education, health, and minority-owned businesses; and

WHEREAS, In 1964, the National Urban League through its affiliate network helped register more than half a million Black voters; and

WHEREAS, In 1972, the Citizenship Education department was established, offering local citizenship education programs, voter registration, and get out the vote campaigns, and the Power of the Ballot was published and 75,000 new Black voters were registered as part of a 17-city drive; and

WHEREAS, Since 2020, efforts to register Black voters, get out the vote, and challenge voter suppression have intensified; and

WHEREAS, The National Urban League's 90 local affiliates and 11,000 volunteers located in 36 states and the District of Columbia provide services across 300 communities; and

WHEREAS, The National Urban League's signature programs are evidence-based, data-informed and scalable, and they demonstrably enhance the economic and educational status of communities served; and

WHEREAS, Since 2004, through the National Urban League's Entrepreneurship and Business Services division, the Entrepreneurship Center Program has served approximately 185,000 minority-owned businesses, helping them to secure over $1,000,000,000 in financing, bonding capacity, and contracting opportunities, and it created or saved over 170,000 full and part-time jobs; and

WHEREAS, Since 2008, over 315,000 people have received assistance through the National Urban League's Housing and Community Development division, Comprehensive Housing Counseling, and financial empowerment programs; the foreclosure prevention initiative, Restore Our Homes, has helped more than 25,000 people avoid foreclosure, and the home purchase program has assisted 7,200 people become first-time homeowners; and

WHEREAS, Since 2008, the National Urban League's Education and Youth Development division's signature program, Project Ready, has helped 18,000 students (grades 8-12) progress academically, benefit from cultural enrichment opportunities, and develop important skills, attitudes, and aptitudes that position them for success during and after high school; and

WHEREAS, Since 2010, the Equity and Excellence Project has enabled the affiliates to expand their education advocacy and engagement work in cities and states across the country; and

WHEREAS, In 2013, the National Urban League's Workforce Development Division, Rebuild America Initiative, has helped over 250,000 unemployed and underemployed, including young adults, reentry adults, and mature workers to secure full-time employment or career advancement opportunities; and

WHEREAS, The National Urban League has been a national leader in the fight against unfair laws, economic inequality, inequity, and systemic racism and is dedicated to eradicating these social and economic injustices through the development of programs, authoritative public policy research, and advocacy for policies and services that close equality and equity gaps; and

WHEREAS, Through its equitable justice and democracy work, the National Urban League is advocating for justice and fairness for all through police reform, the removal of unjust systemic barriers in the nation's criminal justice system, the protection of voting rights, and the preservation of freedoms to fully participate in our nation's democracy and civic processes; and

WHEREAS, Through its 115 years of service, the National Urban League has been pivotal in improving the lives of millions of African Americans and other underserved communities in combating poverty, achieving civil rights, and gaining economic prosperity; and

WHEREAS, The National Urban League remains an essential organization today; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the National Urban League on its 115 years of service empowering African Americans and other underserved communities while helping foster a more just, equitable, and inclusive nation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we expresses our deep gratitude for the hardworking and dedicated men and women of the National Urban League, National Urban League Affiliates, and its auxiliaries, who, for 115 years, have challenged unjust systems and broken down economic and social barriers; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend the National Urban League's ongoing and tireless efforts to continue addressing systemic racism and economic inequality and fighting for the rights of all Americans to live with freedom, dignity, and prosperity.