By John Bland
Marc Morial, the
national Urban League president, said that urban public universities such as UNC
Charlotte should take positions of thought leadership on issues of civil rights
and economic mobility. He said those institutions should be active in
researching, convening and sustaining fruitful action to advance the greater
good within their communities.
Morial brought a
message focusing largely on economic mobility when he spoke on Jan. 20 to more
than 300 people at McKnight Auditorium. His visit was sponsored by the University's Multicultural Resource Center. His official topic centered on “Building
Bridges through Civility, Justice and Action.”
Marc Morial at UNC Charlotte |
Morial’s appearance
helped close out MLK Day activities at UNC Charlotte. He said that the Urban League is unique in
that it both advocates for civil rights and also provides direct services to
organizations and individuals. Morial has led the Urban League since 2003 and
had formerly served as mayor of New Orleans and as a Louisiana state senator.
In a meeting with a smaller group of local and regional civil rights advocates
and elected officials, Morial said that a key goal for the Urban League is to
help advance economic mobility for all Americans, especially those who are
minorities.
Morial rebutted
suggestions he said he had heard in 2003 that equality and civil rights have
been achieved in the United States and thus organizations such as the Urban
League are less relevant than in decades past. He noted that 2010-2012 were the
Urban League’s biggest years for providing services and that in 2010 the
organization refreshed its operational goals for the foreseeable future. He
said the Urban Leagues priorities are 1) every child ready for college, work
and life; 2) safe, decent, energy efficient housing on fair terms available to
all citizens; 3) every American having access to a good job paying a living
wage with benefits and 4) access to affordable healthcare solutions. Morial
said that with goals as fundamental -- yet far-reaching -- as those, the Urban League
is as relevant as ever.
When asked what
indicators he has seen that suggest those goals are achievable, he had a quick
two-word answer: “Hope and goodwill.”
As part of Morial’s
address to the crowd in McKnight, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois shared brief
remarks with the assemblage.
“
… The events of the past year in Ferguson and elsewhere remind us that there
remain deep divides along racial lines in this country,” Dubois said. “As the
old saying goes, freedom is not free and it requires continuing vigilance. We
need that next generation of civil rights leaders to emerge and speak for the
conscience of this nation, as great leaders have. I’m sure that many of these
future leaders are sitting in this room.”
Urban League of Central Carolina CEO Patrick Graham |
Indeed,
Morial said that Urban League leadership is keeping up with the ascendancy of millennials,
who, he said, were now the largest segment of the American population. Morial
said he was proud that Urban League chapters across the country were
experiencing generational changings of the guard in their leadership, with scores
of young, talented chief executives taking the helm; he noted in particular
Patrick Graham, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Urban League of Central Carolina.
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John Bland is senior director of public relations and news services at UNC Charlotte.
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