[applause] good morning. good morning. i'm going to take a quick seat. is that i'm still working through trying to compete in the contest. [laughter] next year. first of all, thank you very much for joining us.

let's think the bill. [applause] and a longtime partner and colleague working at the u.s. conference of mayors and now at the league as an ordained elder. always cold and evangelist. let's give it up. [applause] and a warm thanks for courtney and johnson & johnson. i use the product this morning. but most importantly, i appreciated you taking the connection between the national urban league that reaffirms the p and reaffirms the role played in opening doors to corporate america a long time

ago. before it was called diversity, equity and inclusion. and i will get to that a little later.!c a second, i want to welcome, raise your hand urban league affiliate leaders from across the country. [applause]e and a those in the audience and those who are watching, this is the heart and soul of our work. men and women, highly talented, highly committed on the ground in the areas across the nation collectively. they are touching 3 million people year with direct services. give it up for the affiliate leaders. [applause] and also, they are supported by, affiliate board members.

each affiliate had i■ts own board, any members here in the room please raise your hand. we want to acknowledge you and thank you so much for being here and for your work as volunteers. then there is the historic national urban league all the way back in 1942. a woman of passion a-$ style had a vision and in those days, even though we had women executives in t 20s, women were not afford a full role in the movement. molly said we will serve and built as a volunteer corps across the nation. raise your hand. i know several o y are here. [applause] thank you all very, very much.

and then guess what. the 25th ae national urban league young professionals. [applause] 25 years young. stand up. all of our young professionals and we are going to have a celebration in new orleans. we appreciate what they brought. volueer work, the young professionals that made a difference in the urban league movement, and i want to tnk you all. we are just starting and we will continue to grow and then with us here in the building and maybe some ith room, we had a number of students that are a part of our business executive stage program.

any students here are they otherwise engaged we have one or two students here. [applause] let me make sure i get the schools we have mainly from the dmv who are with us tonight and they are here from howard state, delaware state and morgan state. give it up. great universities making a difference in the lives of our people, and i want to saluteo■p them and thank them and i will be spending some time with them a little bit later. it's an honor, always an honor to be able to present the state of black america. and it is always important for people to know what emanated.

where did this notion of the report, the state of black america come from and it was 1976 we anticipate in a few days the president will give a state of the union address. very important time when you hear from the president of the united states on his position and execution for the nation. 1976 in the late great legend held this position and a person on the shoulders i stand sat down and watched prison forward deliver the early state of the union address, he listened intently and carefully to president ford. ford's address for the most part painted the picture of america where there wer no

black people. a picture where there were no poor people. a picture of america that for part ignored the trials and travails of locked out and left out communities. no mention of poverty, no mention of cities, no mention of the raging recession that was taking place in the middle 1970s. president ford painted a false, because when things are in the nation. so vernon jordan sat down and said i'm going to prepare my own report. [laughter]

a adjective when our great leaders talk. he pulled together a group of scholars, african-american schola others to print what was a report with analysis, diagnosis and recommendations on the future of the nation and that was the beginning of the statef black america. and so today, it is an honor to be able to now for almost 50■5 years later for me to be able to present to you our thinking on what is the state of black america. it our watch when we allow

the progress and the games and the essence of the work that has been done by many generations of americans, many generations of civil rights leaders and black americans to be eroded by a pernicious divisive, negative, hateful effort which is designed to erase the last 70 years in american history. so stay with me. the state of black america is strong because we are strg. the state is proud because we are proud. the state of black america is resilient because we can take the bumps and bruises and slips and stumbles and falls and putdowns and keep on working.

the state of black america is not just a comment on the state of black america. it is a comment on the state of the nation, the state of the union the challengeshat we face are not always challenges that we only face. they are fbaced in other communities. many times the challenges are disproportionate to our community. so we can't allow anyone to hijack our voice when we speak about the state of black america we are speaking about the state of the so this year's report has three components to it and if you

will, let me walk through these three because it's important to understand what we did this year. so understanding that this represents the 60th anniversary since the passage of the civil rights act of 1964. it's important for us to understand that when we talk about all of these issues, we are standing on this foundation of an american magna carta that was passed in 1964 after a long fight and a long struggle that went all the way back to the civil war. after the civil war when the nation amended its and created a 14th amendment they added a section that said congress shall enforce this

amendment by appropriate legislation. this was in the late 1860s. now journey is instructive to today the first civil rights act that was passed of the civil act was twice vetoed by then president johnson. it became law because the congress overrode his veto. then within 1875 that act, interestingly, looks a lot like the 1964 act. we've got to teach a little bit this morning. and of that civil rights act in 1883 was substantially struck down by the united states

supreme court, and the united states supreme court meaning who sat on the court changed as a result of the election so here was the supreme court less than 20 years after the civil war declaring a piece of legislation to enforce the constitution as unconstitutional. from that point forward, 1883, this very same court in another if you will judicial■ in 1896 declared separate but equal the law of the land and vanished

black people to a second class status. i am connecting the dots because as things go, things repeat themselves. and we need to understand that while those who are battling progress, they are following a historical map as well and we must understand that historical roadmap. so, from 1896 all the way until 1964, the civil leaders, the civil rights advocates of the early 20th to think and imagine and work on how they could pass a new civil rights law.

and this decision gave the creation in 1909 at the naacp, gave rise to the creation in 1910 of the national urban$0 league and many other organizations that evolved thereafter. i want to bring us to 1964 because 1964 and the passage of the civil rights act did not happen because there was a fit of enlightenment by the members of the united states congress. it didn't happen because of serendipitous osmosis. [laughter] it happened because there was a movement beginning when the courag woman refused to give

up her seat in montgomery alabama of direct action and that movement was supported by an aggressive strategy in the and others, charles hamilton architected to try to knock down the polls, so it was litigation and activism. our predecessors in the stood in 1963 with 250,000 with of march on washington. they had a demand we want a civilized act, and we want it now. so we come forward and we have been asked on a number of shows what's happened with the civil rights act of 1964, and i look

at the correspondence and african-americans and other people of color who now grace all these great media organizations that say you would not be here. [applause] not just the african-americans, but the women and latinos and asians and others, you would not be here but for the civil rights act while cynics young sometimes what i call polite provocateurs will sometimes s n has changed, i say were you

in 1964 if we suggest that nothing has changed we are disrespecting the work of&any. and it took martin luther king and dorothy hyde, and itd rosa s thurgood marshall and jack greenberg and the uaw supportint took lyndon johnson,new how to break a 17 year filibuster. we don't know how many projects he promised. [laughter] we don't know how many deals he cut, but whatever he did, it worked, and the civil rights act of 60 forecast.

we are progenitors of that work. the second part■ç of this statef black america is the equality index and each and every year for the past 20 years, weet's pt comes to the numbers of social and economic conditions out there so we can understand clearly what the comparative is when it comes to the social and economic conditions of black americans and white americans so that we are not having a discussion with a billion opinions only. yet we are also not having a discussion with the misinformation and of the the lyingthat gn it comes to progress or the lack thereof in this nation. and of the third part of the is a report on president

biden and whether as he made in writing on paper as candidate biden. we wanted to look at it so that people could understand because those several of you and hear our elected and some of you are formerly elected. what counts is that politics is like romance. i make a promise, you buy into it, then i keep it. it's not about well i am changing my promises every day or backing off three and coming up with two new ones. so we had evaluated of president obama. we needed to grow a great rhetoric, this world of great rhetorice factual basis and wite

urban league what they seek to do is provide a factual basis, whether it is the quality index for the progress report we put it out there for people to debate. you can discuss it, you can challenge it if need be, but we are just presenting the facts. so those are the three components of the state of the black america report. can we talk a little bit about the civil rights act of 64? , so let's talk about what the civil rights act of 64,5 which had seven provisions, seven sections which sought to open the doors to both employment and public accommodations, there were provisions on voting and a provision that applied to anyone

that took federal money. so that act, let's look at some of the changes, topline changes and a reference to these in american life. what has happened in corporate america? since 1964. so, with black and a zero women, we now have eight african-american at 50 plus women, and i'm not going to suggest to you that we can be satisfied or should be satisfied with this number. but it's important to point out the change. these dynamic women and african-americans who lead these companies are competent and qualified and outstanding command behind them legions of vice presidency and senior vice presidents. don't get me wrong.

the fact that we highlight this does not suggest satisfaction. it's not what it suggests. it's that this act has made a bit of a difference in area. let's look at the political community, of the congress and the united states. and i think this was enhanced bg rights act. but look, when the civil rights act past, there were five blocks. adam clayton powell of new york, bill dawson of los angeles, along with philadelphia, and charles diggs of detroit and john conyers of detroit. those were the six, five or six african-americans whoere the

time. now there's a 60 african-americans, 18 asian americs,, five native americans, 150 women, applause. [applause] that deserves an applause. and i want to point this out because once again has there been progress, far more progress here than the corporate side because this owes to the political engagement, this is to the involvement and then beyond these there are a large number of members of congress who are not black, asian american, latino, not native who african-american and latino voters are essential to their coalition meaning they cou if ta coalition that included these

entities together. so let's give that a big round of applause. i'm always excited when we look at that. so the civil rights act has made a difference, but the current challenges that we face, i want to put this in this context may of 2020, covid was two months old. we were all watching and then the iphone video that the young woman in minneapolis was flashed across our screen and we saw george floyd, we saw a man died

before our■i eyes [inaudible] >> which one is one, neither. so, we saw that on the streets spontaneously■aneously there were protests around the world. i remember we got calls from new zealand, hungary, the united kingdom. there was an awakening and a reckoning. i know my time is tight, but i've got to tell you a personal story because it did happen. i got a letter.

she id there's a i think you need to look at this. so i open this letter, handwritten letter from someone i went to middle school with and i attended a middle scho first n only one in my class for fourthe straight years. it was an apology letter from someone who had been ann i was e names. i guess they called micro- aggression, it is a macro aggression. but he said in the■ letter that

he was compelled to write the letter because of what happened to george floyd and that it had forced him to re-examine who he is and what he is about. no return address, but i found him. [laughter] i only make that reference so we understand how powerful the moment was with people, corporations, foundations and government making commitments. strong commitment. fast forward to today, fast-forward to today, not on our watch. not on our watch will we be silent while we watch those who make commitments all of a sudden

gain the courage of the lion of the wizard of oz and walkway. not on our watch will we be silent while people run for office, the wealthy hedge people, women who are presidents of major. you might as well say what you really meant. you can say what you want, but don't say that. this is the moment that we find ourselves in. we find ourselves in a moment 2022 suppress the vote to makece

it harder for people to vote, targeted at a black people into latinos and poor people and disabled americans and older americans and students with a cover story, which is a blatant misrepresentation and fly that somehowhe s riddled with fraud. we have to be clear that these gung to involve cover stories of misrepresentation, misstatement facts, invention of facts, distraction from the truth and fi of history. 1,000 bills across the nation t.

toni morrison? come on.maya ralph ellison? get out of here. to ban books as though these students are not going to go to barnes and noble to pick them up. where they are not going to go online and say they want to ban them i want to read them about th more. the absurdity of it all is that there's now a pushback. but while half the states have engaged in proposals to suppress the vote, i'm happy t tell you another have passed legislation introduced the voting and did things to make it easier so this is not simply that there is one

side of the ledger and not on other side of the ledger. every company that may be you retreating on the diversity equity and inclusion, there may be three or four more who say i'm going to double down, i'm going to stand and remain committed. we have to understand and not get caught in the glass half empty mentality. we cannot fight a battle if we do not have aindset that we are stronger because our case is right and that our friends and allies and ourselves are lying to make this occur. so in this index very quickly, we index at approximately 76% of where white americans are and i encourage you to look at the

index. here's the thing you see an improvement in the last few years. that improvement is probably the largest two-year improvement that we've seen in the past. however, at this pace, parity is 180 yearsy. now, keep this in perspective. we are like a caboose on a train so over thehe high school graduation rate gone up, yes it has. give a hand. [applause] but the rate for white americans has improved and that is not a bad thing but we remain-8 behin. ditto for the college rate and for many areas we made

but we've not made relative progress to the overall improvements in the country, and that is the paradox of this index. i wanted to show you these five areas so that you can see that when it comes to economics, we are lacking. when it comes to social justice which includes the criminal justice system, we are lacking. these are areas that have been i would argue they are connected in many respects. so, w understand these numbers and use this as a tool for conversations and policymakin leadership. we want students, scholars, journalists, businesspeople, labor leaders, politicians to know these numbers and understand these numbers and then finally, joe joe biden whel

remember when we got on the phone in 2020 to speak to him and it's our practice to return to speak to anybody running, but we are not going to chase you. .. and i am not talking about tennis shoes. [laughter] [applause] i am talking abouts. i am talking about health. i am talking about our children

and education. so very importantly, when we talk to joe biden and the candidate we challenged h. you need to put a plan together for black america put a plan together we want to see a set of spifically enumerated issues he said that's a great idea i will do. i would like to see what you recommend. we all sent our recommendations to his team that works through it. they produced a plan. e wanted? did embrace our main ideas yes. the truth of the matter is he has fulfilled a large number of his stated commitments.

everyone to know because there is a a lot of misinformation floating around. right now if you look at 2020 both the overall unemployment rate in the black unemployment rate you see significant decline. also identify .3% for black americans. 3.7% on an overall. on an overall basis. but it is important we were in a trough in 2020 with millions and millions of p■teopleutth 40% ofs have been closed down. 70% of all businesses had been shut down. this is what we faced. but we also thought it was important to look at the things that did not necessarily get donethe first three years. this president said i will

nominate a black person, a black woman be vice president. [applause] heard promises of heri politicians you know the crawfish move? start backing up. no circumstances have changed or get other pressures on me. i don't think i can follow the #ing can i makeo you later? we do not see that when it comes to harris. he said i will put a black woman on the night state supreme court.y did he nominate a black woman heat nominated an outstanding lawyer, legal : own and

is not afraid to open her mouth or user pin. these were important commitments. we put the general there has now head of the joint chi. cabinet and a diverse staff and people who look like our community. the health care expansion is notable. and if you look at the index health care disparities and that doesot mean h is perfect. i have been in it with this knee. don't get me started. i am not talking insurance companies by love my doctor. so it is important to look at th of improvement. then we said there is an unfinished agenda. things we know did not get done. i want to list a few of them.

there are three there but it was a highlight for. voting rights, the freedom to vote the john lewis voting righ get done. this is essential. what have fun? limited what really happened. so melanie we were in the trenches on thisiobhain it was coalition. we were working with the executive branch and members of on the john lewis voting rights advancement act. we had gotten it t house. and all of the sudden they are in the senate. we had 48 commitments. m■forty-eight commitments we had 48 hard commitments. all we needed was for two members of the united states senate to agree to create an

exception one time for the filibuster. we worked on those two members. you know their names one is from west virginia, he is retiring. the other is from arizona she is running for reelection. we talk t worked very hard to persuade them to grant this exception. let's beat candidate. let's be clear. let's be unvarnished. let's not mince words and did not happen. they block the passage of the jon louisville. the republican blockadeut we kne but we knew we couldn't move it mitch mcconnell told his caucus under no circumstances do we support votingights appeared

to that privately, publicly missing something else. this is why this did not happen. we passed the georgia floyd bill twice. in the house of representatives a good strong bill did not do everything we wanted to do. but we passed it. same thing, got to the senate and died right there on the vine. the freedom to vote act of the jon louisville the same exact thing. the reparations which could never get the representatives te adopted. there is unfinished business. unfinished business on our agenda. every one of these items i discussed when explained to the american people generate 60 --

70% support. when they understand beyond talking points it. when they understand it beyond divisive rhetoric. when you tell them specifically what they do they have almost s. so we cannot allow ourselves to be mesmerized into a mindset that what we want is something only we want. people who will support. but if we do not raise o a priority if we do not challenge those who come to our community. if we do not use our platforms and our leadership to tell our community why this is important and why these things are on the balance and in 2024, shame on

us. this is the work that we have to do. so let me close because a call to action is clear. i call to action is also what i would recommendwhen he gives thf the union address include number one defendant democra. defendant democracy say defend democracy. number two we want to demand, demand diversity, equity and inclusion and what does that mean? we demand a fair chance. we demand equal access to theam. we demand equal economic opportunity. we demand the words of the civil rights act of 1964 be real. that what is on paper is what we live by. that is what get

confused when people want to get a logical gym we used to call it fair employment practices. then they said it was ceo. then action. that is diversity, equity and inclusion in some people want to call it belonging. [laughter] part of me says call it what you [applause] just make sure it is real in terms of creating opportunity for the communities they were that werewalked out and left ou. so we must demand diversity, equity, inclusion in factories, and boardrooms, a classrooms, everywhere in america. and finally we must defeat poverty the 21st century has

given us the largest economy in the history of human beings. here in the united states of america almost 25 trillion in gdp and you can't even tell me i can't remember how many zeros that is but it is big. 25 trillion yet, here is the truth, the truth is you have what i call tradional■- poverty. extreme poverty. people who are on the edge of simply try head above water. and then you have those, this is a larger portion to get up and go to work every day. they might have two jobs. they are raising children are

taking care of seniors and other family members. they cannot pay their rent.e iso make the mortgage work. to pay for food, transportation, we have aew america. which is a pernicious this is part of the wealth gap in part of the incomewe need a renewed o bring back the child tax credit. it made a difference. passed a national living wage bill and index it to inflation. [applause] give us a comprehensive plan on homeownership to make housing more affordable to build more affordable units. give us, give us a way to mak college more affordable.

and don't preach to me that everybody doesn't need to go to college because if they don't they should decide, not you. we do not want tracking and steering. the dates and segregation high schools in the black community in the■ south top manual arts. homemaking. not college prep. they were not design. i believe in workforce andnity colleges, and job opportunities for those. but i do not want any young whoa dream to be college educated to not take that path because money is in the i do not want dreams and

aspirations to be suppressed.e u don't need a college education. nd up for a system of human capitol preparation be at certificates or community colleges are quality high schools, or apprenticeship programs and workforce development program and college and graduate school that is attainable and affordable for everyone. america became the economic powerhouse in the 17th and 18th centuc&ries because of the system of slavery. and free labor.post-world war in

economic powerhouse i would contend because a combination o things. guess the g.i. bill which lifted many of us out but civil rights. civil rights open the doors you look at the economy and 63 and you look at 64 you look at the economy and 24. you look at you soon, you atlana before civil rights and after civil rights, you get my point. this is t4 actually transformation of america towards a democracy is good for us, but it is good for all. [applause] i'm going to close by reminding you of two things. this year i want everyone to embrace this d3 message. to get back to your local

communities. when people say what is the agenda we want to defd democracy. want to demand diversity. what to defeat poverty. will policies, we want focus on doing that. programs, and then we are going out with their civic engagement campaign this fallña. we have to register people. we have to educate people and we have to mobilize people. we have to register them and educate them and mobilize them. and let me say this, not voting is not a strategy. i had people to say i'm going to withhold my vote. and what sathat? [laughter] in what book are you reading?

or do you have a comprehensive strategic plan how not voting is not a strategy. not voting is unilateral disarmament. not voting is not going to a knife fight with a water. it's going to a knife fight with your hands tied behind your back. your hands are tied behind your back because you tied them not someone else. we have to be clear eyed and lie american idol. i'm not going toee who is going to entertain the immigrant feel good. i love their charisma, and love their funny jokes. people's agendas. their commitment, their

promises, their seriousness about what they're going to do. we have to educate our community that this is about our power we cannot give it up. but we have to also understand voting alone is not a magical wand. vote for somebody in setback, no. it's part of being specifically engaged we have to do more than vote. we have to be organized but we have to be engaged, we have to part of the policy conversation with to be involved at the local levels. you know t our job is to stimulant, encourage and motivate our communities to do the same. i reclaim your voteay tuned for. about the work we will be doing and we are going to be out there. we said 2020 we had to do a lot of stuff online 2022 we did a lot of stuff online where going

to continue to work online but it is time for us to roll up our some doors. roll up some sleeves and get on the college campuses. shops, the beauty salon, the churches, the hangouts. and have conversations with people about the importance of participation in civic engagement can account on you? are you ready? not on ouratch. not on our watch. not on our watch. to those who may be viewing we . the state of black america.org and read the full and complete report is available. it is free. download it, share it, please share it. generously and abundantly through your networks and threat your community.

good morning, god bless you and thank you. ladies and gentlemen you heard the diagnosis now it is time for the prescription. the national urban league is committed to defending the integrity and intent of the civil rights act while expanding its prosecution protection to all vulnerable americans. and that this critical moment for our democracy, our institutions need to advance a quality instead of sharing the clock backwards. to discuss this to action, we have invited at outstanding panel of info delusional thought

activists and let's meet them right now. starting with the president ceon black civic participation and convene or of the black women's roundtable give it up for campbell. our friend and our sister president and chief executive officer national council of women. [cheering] [applause] welcome to the stage. the president ceo of the columbia urban jt. [applause] let's welcome back to moderate this amazing discussion

president ceo mike morreale. >> thank you all very much. we are going to get to the audience in a minute. we want to make sure you're part discussion. thank you, let's give them another round of applause. jt, give us a historic perspective, you have been leading in south carolina has been a crucible of the movement very important battles of mother emmanuel church. you have been there working for many, many many. help us. give us a perspective on how you think about this moment. >> thank you very much. first about i bring greetings from south carolina.

[applause] south carolina is the home of african people who came to america we are unique as you know. we believe we have to have resiliency and we must be able to do like our ancesto. must wae able to see it. we must be able to claim it and we are going to claim it by putting forth efforts not through us most us you have got to work. once you claim you have got to achieve it. sometimes we stop at 7lachievement. we added another factor you got to maintain it. that is what happened throughout this country. we had a sua in south carolina where one of the few states that flew the confederate flag. we got calls in october 1999 use

need the urban league. we need the urban league to bring this flag down says that we are not welcome we are second-class citizens. i thank god he was the president wrote in black america under jordan. he was from harvard university don't count to south carolina every corporate leader wanted him on the board but he hung with the people. he said there is no peace if there is no justice there will be no peace. that is what the president of the university said he was on our board and heat said to us we decided to immobilize, to march and january 172000.

we decided to mch the frederick flag. someone called me and said we need 10,000 people to march. i sai wait a minute. we ought to build 60000 people to a football game. why can't weeople to march? he had a vision. we have a collaborative effort we work very closely with the naacp. the black church and other civic and community organizations. we mobilize from december theár fourth 1999 we brought people in from all over the state we have to get a consensus. a lot of time neither of us we had to bring the people to the table we had to discuss it. and we all voted whether or not

we were able to put this in march together from december 4 to generate 17. and i was a man who was a preacher he stood up and said we can't do this. we don't have enough time. i thank god for our young people thousand a student from■3g university heard about that meeting on the day of the meeting came to columbia, south carolina stood up and said we can do it they said call for the vote. no more discussion. and we voted that we are going to do it. we mobilize over 50000 people. so in south carolina first of all we know what our ancestors did on a critical situation and we stand on their shoulders. we're going have the vision to know we come together and mobilize and walk back faith and

not our site we will be successful for. >> thank you, let's give jc a hand. you brought nnes and counsel council of negro woman standing on the shoulders of the great dorothy height and many others. also special if you will and other activism around health and healthcare issues. shows some narrowing of dive us some observations on how you see things now. >> the first of all it is an honor to be here. my first book report resent whitney young junior as a first grader in new jersey. and i never told you this story and one of the things i recall

from the reading of that cartoon book was a picture of whitney on so i went to thank you in this moment. [applause] because somehow in order is they should be. i want to say this about healthcare. [applause] i will say healthcare for me has been the cornerstone of how it has moved in this country. one of the things we learn about healthcare and i will give the urban league credit for this. taught to engage in social determinants of health. very live, play, worship can is affect the way of quality of life. in the context for that is fully

connected to how healthcare can answer a lot of questions for us. i was in college where i met this young man i was a collegiate student was in the office and a one of things we learned that was all around us i knew as an athlete i had to create a place for healthcare for my what i did not know i was going to be called for a greater cause and healthcare has made this a great help directorate one of things we learn was when that came to my office because of the affordable care act. gap on transportation, on housing if you are not ho to work if you not help that you can't learn in school. if you are not healthy you cannot get out of your bed and

how can you live? disparities are nothing but differences. i want to give you context. what it really means is removing barriers out of the way to have quality of life and health. the problem is equity cannot be achieved if the barriers are bigger than the plan. until the closing of the gaps and i appreciate the opportunity to have been a part of thise hee human rights activists plan to help set strategy for everything else. because we learn about it it was always in our c marketed in our communities. we had food deteriorating in our communities where there's a study done at first grace asked

what color ay said solid ground. and so you can have good nutrition if you're brown bananas. so i am saying i want a brown banana plant my context is how do we create gaps to ask band and opportunities to expand inside of us advocating for quality in healthcare and removing barriers which means healthcare providers have to be black i said what i said what i said they've got to be black. they've got to meet women. healthcare cannot change if we do not have partnerships with corporations. i am fine with corporations and t find i will close with this. if we can look at this policy, practice clear strategies on how to bring industry we can push this

administration make our politics a much better place for black people in america. >> thank you excellence. melanie, we experienced a lot of this journey together as a part of her coalition of civil rights leaders over this decade or decade and a half. you have spent a good part of this year out in the state in michigan, south carolina mobilizing voters. what do you want to share from what you are hearing,■ó you thinking? and then what the challenges for 2024 to get our community fully engaged? >> you said it already with got to get in the streets. first i want to step back.

its a pleasure to be with my urban league family. thank you all again for inviting me. somebody was looking at us because the three of us were together at benedict college february's seconds. hey hey. [laughter]■ not on for the south carolina primary. so here we are here today. that is no accident. we are all gathered here for this. your report is timely to give us a roadmap. we are not in anstential threat. we are in a fight for our very lives. and so the attacks that are taking place we talk about

diversity, equity, inclusion. they say you're not going have the ability to make that money are not going have the ability to feed y the ability to become that billionaire, truly there, whatever you want to be. got to break down. what i am hearingg with -- theye the numbers. they are not feeling the numbers. i don't know about you but i have got to feel it. and if i don't feel it then i sometimes will make the determination that it is not really happening. and so with all the things that have happened i'm so glad you have the information about the current administration. sometimes we've got to tell people that we are winning. if we were winning they would not want to go after us. if they were winning they wouldn't be trying to shut us down. nobody waste time on anybody.

so we are waiting for you know i am from florida. up my hometown. i go back home is not getting1" all the way down to everybody. unemployment is high and my hometown in florida destination case with 95 u.s. one. [laughter] they're announcing that. with their seeing in florida in october we launched, thank you urban league gave me a check that i am going. i do these things sometime and say go i went for 30 days but money came. because we have t on those doord

communicating with our people. we spent that 30 days and what we kept hearing as i am still struggling. i cannot afford to get the child care. i cannot afford one more person talked about the cost of eggs have you seen the cost of eggs? it is a real thing. if i don't feel it and not going to connected to what you have here. if we don't get into the community and knock on those doors, that old-fashioned weight we could do this all day long. and real way we cannot wait we have to do it now. urban league i remember mark and i hooked■. up you decide to be e urban league president. [laughter] ths brother from another

mother and my line? you are right. [laughter] i got to shut up but we were at harvard university. i was doing a fellowship and he was doing he was the mayor. where the got a position or not. and we had that conversation we also have the conversation about how we have to work together. and how we have to organize together. how we have to unify. the reality is we have to come together now. we have to do it now when you go back home urban league? you have to respect at all to bring you the information. i also member the urban league would get in the stree in the streets to manage them both. >> us give a big round of applause.

we have got a few minutes i will call for a question. and then i'm going to call on william barnes a. where are you wilma william you are just there in my eyesight. the president of the advisory council of the executive for a and then i'm going to call on you, jennifer for question. so, i these questions note sermons no, sir venezia. you to me that's cool, and eight -- 10 minutes, ron thank you for being here thank you for being a friend. an ally and mentor to so many of us. rana daniels a. [applause]

[inaudible] [laughter] [inaudible] [inaudible] >> do we have a mic do we have an extra mic? was just handed this michael down, thank you. i went to not have a question but a comment really it is so important that we know our history. and the way in which this is laid out a discussion post reconstruction were at a moment in terms of doing her civic engagement. doctor ramona when you culture them about to write that about that again. history. she is brilliant because she knows what happens with the reconstruction amendments. we all need to know that.

i do not have a question i have the challenges go to work and also agree it can't just be we have to connect the virtual with what we always did. that is the synthesis is not either or that we have to do. but competitions on the history. >> thank you. president of the advisory council are executives of willi, thank you for being here. >> thank you. let me say this, mark, thank you for your leadership we will e connectivity when i think about every time you stand before us the connectivity with other leaders in the community we talk about coalitions. i want to make that as aoremost. here is the question. i had a conversation had dinner so my colleagues yesterday we were talking about how we continue to mobilize and more me particularly keep folks engaged. we talk about engagement we know you got the report it relates to president joe biden.

that does not seem to be translating into the community for the right things happening as it comes out of d.c.? the question is how do we overcome the challenges and they are real. make no mistake we think about young people they do not say organization. they don't say organization is the way to go them were talking about it. we have a fight on our hands we cannotnd very interested to hear what are we thinking about? what is the think tank how are we going to make sure we are connecting to be sure they can help us and support us for. >> you want to go first? >> i am on it i am on it. [laughter] the inside joke in my office as they call me number 45 because in? >> i am on it i am on it. [laughter] the inside joke in my office as they call me number 45 because in 45 years old. that is an anomaly in our space. what i have told them it shouldn't call me 45 you'd better start coming 25 speaker because 25 speakers are the ones young people have literly checked out on the way we do institutional living.

so unless you grew up in a legacy space bar you understand institutions you have to change your hat. i am blessed to be in that lineage of folks that look at as a part of strategy. that is no longer the case but quite frankly were honest about it we have left our folks to create their own institutional living because we have failed them. one, vote values. we hide behind israel and palestine for don't talk about the reality on the ground we are just as complicit as the administration we are actually criticized. we've got to tell our truth. i can tell you that young people are open when you have the conversation. but we have not created space enough to have a conversation. it's not just virtual but it is also goingo go. and there's a massive assumption people are not engaged. young people are engaged or just not as tolerant as some of us

are. so we work on our tolerance approach. we can learn something. the english we would say something they would say some of the stuff our ancestors chuck. we taught them we should be grateful it says we gave them power. [applause] so that i am saying to you is there is an opportunity. put on your jeans, put your hat on backwards go back and say something. i am fine with it but give them an opportunity to sit at the table with you. the only way or when it we were at all of our tables. >> thank you for the response. we have one last question i am sorry we go to wilmington go-ahead. >> good morning everyone. thank you so much for the opportunity to ask this question. i am a preacher as well. and a lot of times when i tell young people about voting i say one thing we should do we should do it like communion we remember

we don't do it any other way. n the room who's going back to several communities want to note you have any talking points to compel our younger voters to recognize the importance of voting? do you have any thoughts? >> i would say yes. one, you have them right here i believe. but we have laid out is a core clear message. i think that's very clear and you break that down. but we have in our organization as we have power to ballot and we break that down and connect it. we were in florida all the hbcus in the florida communities and what one people got was they could connect that dog. you have to connect those dots and make it simple.

our task is we will not be walking up i am in the airport without a shirt that says power to ballot we will not be erased and has no organization name has no affiliation. somebody pay for this stuff up. [laughter] real talk. but that simple message the power of the ballot we will not be erased. what shocked we're going to pute money off the t-shirt and sweatshirt to pay for the movement. that is what we are doing. so make it simple and people run with it. they can get that but if you do the whole they're not going to listen. >> one minutes i am being told got to wrap. >> we just recognized and we did differ every year for the last 30 years achievement matters people don't want to talk to

them to see you in action. and that's it with got to do have got to continue with our people they are our future. power to the people. [inaudible] us. are you all in the room? c-span let's recognize them. c-span, c-span, c-span. [applause] so i will close with this. with this observation. this is a think that something simple when we talk about young people. one thing we all must remember don't you get amnesia. for something simple it's cold listening. hearing and asking.

those accused of being disruptive, troublemaker i was running for office as a young person they said boy go sit down. i said no, i am not going to sit down. and i forged ahead use does not necessarily equate with immaturity. and young people are taking on the responsibility to manage their lives,ily, build a career many young people have responsibilities to take care of others in the and so we listen a little bit. even if we are going to engage though we have all the answers, it is the line in glory. we've got a great line.

we need the wisdom of the elders. and young people's energy. and i dropped the mic and we