Although policies like the Justice In Policing Act and defunding the police are not new, after the brutal deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other African Americans, these recommendations are at the center of action around police reform.
The Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA) believes in this moment there is more openness and willingness to consider dramatic systems reform than ever before. With this in mind, the organization is opening up discussion on the topic as it believes protestors and police have a critical role to play as Louisiana and the nation deal with issues of race and equity.
It will be hosting a webinar called Police Reform? Let’s Talk About It on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. CDT. The discussion will feature different perspectives about these critical policies.
“In order for these efforts to be successful, we must face our past and look deeply into the systems that have long divided us, even if it makes us uncomfortable,” said Judy Reese Morse, president and CEO, in a recently released statement. “This is the work that we must do together as a nation. In the immortal words of author and activist James Baldwin, ‘Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.’”
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization with 90 affiliates serving 300 communities, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide.
Locally, ULLA was founded more than 80 years ago. The organization assists underserved communities in securing economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. Its programs are designed to ensure quality education and access to information, employment, entrepreneurial and economic inclusion opportunities, and shared dignity under the law.
ULLA provides a wide variety of services to citizens through programs that take a holistic approach to addressing issues that concern low- to moderate-income families.
One of its programs, Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, promotes small business and provides training, counseling and other diverse resources to existing and aspiring entrepreneurs.
ULLA also offers the ULEAD Leadership Academy, a leading training academy for advocates interested in learning how to effectively navigate and positively impact the educational landscape for communities of color in New Orleans. For each class, ULEAD targets 25 professionals who are interested in attaining a mastery level of knowledge in the New Orleans public education system.
Opportunities for youth includes Voicing Our Information for Census Equity, as part of its 2020 Census initiative. Four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) students in New Orleans and Baton Rouge were selected to lead a 2020 Census HBCU Challenge to engage HBCU student bodies in raising awareness and increasing census participation.
Additionally, the ULLA recently recruited students from Xavier University’s Public Health Sciences and Health Equity Program and Tulane University’s School of Public Health to fill positions at testing sites throughout the city. This occurred through Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), an organization founded by Sean Penn, and the City of New Orleans Health Department to support COVID-19 testing sites across the community.
Another ULLA program is Opportunity Youth VOICE, which raises awareness among young adults, especially those who are disconnected from work and school. With more than 80 applicants for these internships, the desire of young adults to be civically engaged is evident and the Urban League is proud to have trained and supported these young leaders while they served as peer ambassadors to reach communities that are least likely to be counted.
The organization also offers a large number of educational resources such as “Guide to Early Education” and “High School Guide 2020.”
Mission:
The mission of the Urban League of Louisiana is to assist African Americans and other communities seeking equity to secure economic self-reliance, parity and civil rights. The organization implement its mission through programs in the areas of education and youth development, workforce and economic development, public policy and advocacy initiatives.
Upcoming Educational Events: Public Relations for Entrepreneurs: Building and Protecting Your Brand During and After a Crisis
Monday, June 15, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Session 1: Crisis Management – What Entrepreneurs Should be Doing Now to Reignite Their Brand
Presenter: Michelle Jackson, President & CEO of PR Solutions LLC of LA
Contact Information
Website: https://urbanleaguela.org
Address: 4640 S Carrollton Ave Ste 210
Phone: (504) 620-2332
