By Brandon Johnson
With a career that has spanned 25 years and a resume that is both extensive and impressive that includes: Entrepreneur, Senator, Lawyer, Professor, Legislator and Mayor; Marc Morial continues to do excellent work in his current role as CEO and President of the National Urban League, the nation’s largest civil rights organization.
The Urban League currently has three affiliates in California: Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego. On April 24th in a private reception at the U.S. Grant Hotel, Mr. Morial spent time with the San Diego chapter on his tour of California to show support to this city as well as to get his message out about entrepreneurship, strength in our communities and most importantly the Jobs Rebuild America Initiative, which aims to support entrepreneurship and small business development as well as aid in employment training. With success in Cleveland, New Orleans and Philadelphia, Los Angeles will be the next grantee to participate in the program. “Our campaign is a two-pronged effort. First, through a $70 million public-private expansion of existing Urban League job training, education and business development programs, we intend to directly assist thousands of jobseekers and entrepreneurs in dozens of cities over the next five years. The second component of the Jobs Rebuild America Initiative is a public engagement campaign to increase pressure on Washington to invest in the education and skills enhancement of at-risk youth and disadvantaged young adults. We also call for passage of targeted jobs legislation and a responsible fiscal plan and deficit reduction initiatives that do not exacerbate the unemployment crisis,” writes Morial on this National Urban League website http://nul.iamempowered.com/ . Accompanying the mission of job creation and education, the event also offered its guest information on health and wellness.
Carla F. Williams, a certified nutrition and wellness consultant and founder of Healthlicious Cooking 365, premiered the League’s exciting new Culinary Wellness Program designed to educate community members on how to make cooking a contributor to health, even when money and time are very tight. SDUL’s President and CEO, Ray King, reinforced the urgency of this program. “Grocery prices are up and CalFresh benefits are down, making it challenging for many to eat healthfully. Health is one of our four core goals here at the League, and health must happen in the kitchen, too. Ms. Williams is working with us to tailor programs for our community, starting with a promising partnership we’ve established with Cooking Matters in the Store, a division of Share our Strength,” King shared. Scheduled to begin this Spring, trained guides will take residents on tours of grocery outlets, showing them how they can put healthy foods on the table – from whole grains to fruits and vegetables- all within very modest budgets.
With the impactful work of people like Morial, King, and Williams, the Urban League and the m
any others who are committed to excellence and improvement in the African-American Community the future continues to look brighter even more promising for our community.
