May 20, 2010

Cincinnati Urban League To Receive Award May 30

The Urban League of Greater been selected to be one of this years' recipients of "The I Hear Music In The Air Ministry Award".

In its letter to Urban League President/CEO Donna Jones Baker, Tracey Artis, the CEO of I Hear Music Inc. noted:

"You are being honored for your work performed in excellence and generosity to the Greater Cincinnati community... You are an advocate for those who are at risk of racial and economic disadvantages through programs that promote economic self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship through effective leadership in the areas of comprehensive employment, youth and family development."

The League will be honored and receive its award at the annual "I Hear Music in the Air Legends Banquet" to be held on Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 5:00 pm in the Main Ballroom of The Westin Hotel located at 21 E,. 5th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Information about I Hear Music is available at http://www.ihearmusicintheair.com.

Action Alert - National Urban League President: "Save Summer Jobs."

Dear Friend,

We must ACT NOW to save Summer Youth Employment in America!

Last week $600 million to fund 300,000 summer jobs for youth was stripped from the Senate FY 2010 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill.  This same bill provides $33.45 billion for the Department of Defense.

The Appropriations Committee has turned its back on America's youth.  WE ARE OUTRAGED and determined to push for restoration of funding for a crucial pipeline to empowerment. 

There is an opportunity to restore at least $600 million for Summer Jobs funding by including it in another bill.  Summer Jobs provide a foundation for a solid work ethic and invaluable experience that gives young people a clear advantage that lasts throughout their working life. A year without them will have devastating consequences for millions of American youth and their families.  In 2009, the unemployment rate for all teens was 24.8% and 33.6% for Black teens.

Many of you will feel the impact personally as your own children and those in your community face the threat of a summer without earnings and essential job training.  I am calling on you to join a nationwide effort to compel the Senate to amend the legislation to Make Jobs Not War.

I'm asking each of you to do the following: (Visit http://iamempowered.com for full details)
CALL, FAX and EMAIL your U.S. Senators

CALL the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 an operator will direct you to your Senator's office. Simply say "I am outraged and want Senator________ to vote to immediately restore at least $600 million for Summer Youth Employment BEFORE the Senate leaves for Memorial Day recess."

FAX: Download our template at http://bit.ly/NUL_fax.  Numbers can be
found at http://www.contactingthecongress.org

Click here to use our automated system to EMAIL your Senators
http://bit.ly/nul_email

SIGN our petition to restore funding for summer youth employment
http://bit.ly/NUL_pet

View a special message from me http://bit.ly/mm_vid and then Tell us YOUR story!  How has summer youth employment enhanced your life?  What impact will a summer without youth jobs have on you and your family/community?

Respond via YouTube or send us an email message or video to iamempoweredstory@gmail.com.

I know I can count on you ACT.  We must do it now BEFORE the holiday recess.  Tell the Senate that we will not stand for them to fund wars and neglect our youth!

BE Empowered!

Marc H. Morial
President and CEO

May 18, 2010

Vote for the National Urban League

Dear Friend,

We need your Vote!

We were selected to participate in the Members Project- an initiative of American Express and the Take Part Foundation that allows users to share information about their charity, volunteer and donate. Every three months American Express tallies the votes and determines five winning charities that share $1,000,000 in funding. We need your votes to continue our participation and potentially win the American Express Members Project competition!

I'm asking each of you to do the following:

•    Please click the below link and vote for the National Urban League:

    http://www.takepart.com/membersproject/vote

•    Forward the link via email to your friends and family, asking them to vote (You can vote every 7 days.)

•    Post the link on your Facebook wall and Tweet the vote link to your followers (http://bit.ly/voteNUL)

Members of our I Am Empowered community can earn points for these actions

We need your support and your influence to secure votes!!!  The current round of voting ends on May 23, 2010 so we must mobilize everyone we know to vote. A gift from American Express will greatly enhance our ability to enhance the phenomenal work you do as we transform America together. Let's show Amex and the world that our supporters are passionate about our mission and proud of our legacy.

VOTE Here!

http://www.takepart.com/membersproject/vote

BE Empowered

Marc H. Morial

May 17, 2010

June 5th 9 AM Help Build Cincinnati's Citizen's Budget

CUT POLICE 20%, RAISE TAXES!

Or close health clinics and rec centers! So say some Cincinnatians when asked how to eliminate a $51 million City deficit in 2010.

Afraid that a service important to YOU will be cut? City Council wants to know what you value most, so show up at 9 a.m. on Saturday June 5th at the Cintas Center to help save the programs you need. Because you'll talk in small groups of citizens, everyone has a voice, everyone will be heard--and Council members have promised to listen.

Remember--a $51 million deficit will affect everyone. If you want a say in the future of our City, come on June 5th to deliberate with other citizens what City services we can't live without.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP using the link below. Also, take a moment to review the "budget choices" and "budget scorecard" files on the site so that you understand how the options are framed and will be discussed.

And please forward this link to others who value the power of people to offer actionable insight to City Council.   If you have questions, contact Steve Johns, Executive Director, Citizens for Civic Renewal at 458-6736.


Link to details and to RSVP for All-City Event at the Cintas Center

May 12, 2010

New Orleans - The Oil This Time

By Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League

Five years after Hurricane Katrina's swift but devastating assault on the Gulf Coast and my hometown of New Orleans, a slow moving but massive oil spill in the Gulf could have an even more devastating impact on the region's shoreline, wildlife, economy and people.   While the BP oil company has accepted full responsibility and moved quickly to coordinate containment and clean up of the spill, the company's efforts thus far have not resulted in capping the flow of more than 200,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf each day.  With the spill spreading, fear mounting and the region's multi-billion dollar fishing industry shutting down, the Obama Administration has mobilized all appropriate government resources to assist BP in tackling what may well be an unprecedented environmental disaster.

Last week, the President and members of his response team, including Coast Guard Commandant, Thad Allen; Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano; Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar and EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson toured the region and pledged to spare no effort to fix the problem.

Lisa Jackson, the nation's first African American EPA Administrator, grew up in New Orleans.  While in the region, she met with members of the local shrimping and fishing industries to assess the spill's potential economic impact.  During meetings in Saint Barnard Parish and at a church in New Orleans's Ninth Ward she made it clear that BP must train and hire local fishermen and boaters to help with the clean-up. Nobody knows the marshes and waterways better than the local fishermen, many of whom are out of work as the region's huge seafood industry grinds to a halt.

Administrator Jackson has also deployed a specially designed aircraft to assist in the collection of air samples and to provide photo documentation of the spill's environmental impact.  She has directed EPA personnel on the ground to support the Coast Guard's efforts.  All told, the Obama Administration has committed 10,000 personnel, more than 270 vessels and dozens of aircraft to assist in containment and clean-up efforts.

New Orleans is a city on the mend.  A dynamic new Mayor, Mitch Landrieu, has just taken office.  The New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl champions.  And the city continues to rebuild and rebound in the aftermath of Katrina.  Now an oil spill the size of Rhode Island threatens to make landfall.  One wonders how much the people of the region can take.  The oil recovery effort is a complex operation that must be led by BP and the federal government.  But, once again, the spirit of community, self-help, and empowerment that makes New Orleans and the Gulf Coast so great is making its presence known.  Citizens are stepping up to do their share - as volunteers, as workers, and as protectors of the environment.

We join all Americans in continuing to pray that a disaster can be averted.  And we applaud the Obama Administration and leaders like EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, for doing all they can to protect the region's environment, jobs and people.


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