Latest news with #MarcMorial
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
‘This is a warning:' National Urban League report details state of Black America
The National Urban League's annual report The State of Black America, published Thursday, offers a pessimistic look at the state of civil rights protections in the United States and warns 'that our country is on the brink of a dangerous tilt toward authoritarianism.' The report, which has been an annual barometer on civil rights progress in the United States since it first appeared in 1976, details the onslaught of attacks to voting rights, civil rights protections and the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives intended to provide parity for Black Americans and other gender and racial minorities. 'There is a state of emergency in Black America, and our report this year is a warning and a rallying cry as civil rights protections are being unraveled (and) democracy is under siege,' the nonprofit's CEO and president Marc Morial told reporters at a media briefing days before the formal release of the report. 'What began as what we thought were fringe attacks on racial equity has now become national policy,' he continued. 'We are in a state of emergency, and the National Urban League has a fundamental obligation to stand up for democracy, to stand up for diversity, and stand up for economic policies that defeat poverty.' The report highlights the legal backlash against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from a flurry of lawsuits dismantling affirmative action in college admissions to targeting Black-owned businesses using their capital to support other Black entrepreneurs. Now, the report says, anti-DEI has become part of the federal doctrine and is attacking universities and corporations. The report also highlights how under the current Department of Justice leadership, the Civil Rights Division has been completely repurposed — 'transforming it from a guardian of justice to a tool of retribution.' It's now been instructed to target corporations and universities with DEI programs. 'This is a deliberate coordinated campaign to reverse decades of progress for the American people, decades of progress for black America,' Morial said. The country is in a different place On Thursday, at the National Urban League's conference in Cleveland, the threats detailed in the report were discussed during a panel that included National Coalition on Black Civic Participation CEO Melanie Campbell, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights CEO and president Maya Wiley, and Kimberle W. Crenshaw, co-founder and executive director of The African American Policy Forum. RELATED: 'Scary times': Ben Crump and Rep. Jasmine Crockett speak to Miami Gardens residents Campbell, a Florida native, said the country is in a different place than it was five years ago despite the gains made during social justice movements in the wake of the George Floyd killing. She noted the creation of 'Alligator Alcatraz,' the immigrant detention center that was built in the Florida Everglades, and the arrests of elected officials in California and New Jersey who voiced concerns about ICE raids. 'We also can't let fear block us, but we have to be strategic,' she said. 'This time we are really at an existential threat on the very fabric of what this nation is supposed to be about, which is democracy.' 'They're trying to rationalize dismantling the government, [whose] intention is supposed to help us all be able to solve problems our communities have,' Wiley said. 'It doesn't mean that we have to agree. That's not about partisan politics. That's not about Democrat or Republican. That's about an extremist ideology that is now playing out in government, and it is playing out in our courts.' The report highlights the legal battles being waged against the Trump administration including one filed by the National Urban League and others against anti-equity executive orders. But Morial encouraged people to host townhalls to discuss plans of action and how to tackle issues they're seeing locally. 'I think people should make their voices known on social media,' he told reporters. 'I think elected officials should be called to account by how they're resisting these efforts. We are in a tough, tough situation, and so we've got to fight with our voice.' Campbell said that Black people need to prepare for midterm elections next year in key states such as Florida, including in South Florida where U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R‑Fla, will be up for reelection. She emphasized that key elections are opportunities to flip Republican districts to Democratic, but said that it's important to focus on where you are investing your money to push back against policies. That could mean donating to your local museum to preserve history, she said. Campbell also added that corporate leadership also has to step up and push back against harmful policies instead of retreating on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. 'There is no such thing as a free market society without a democracy,' she said. 'Out of touch' But not everyone agrees with the national chapter's focus. T. Willard Fair, the Urban League of Greater Miami president and CEO, said he was not attending the conference and was critical of the national organization's focus, calling them 'out of touch with reality,' and instead believed they should be focused on closing the achievement gap. In Florida, for example, 45 percent of Black students passed the state's standardized Languages Arts tests, while 67 percent of white students passed. The local affiliate has focused its efforts on educational programs such as its Achievement Matters SAT/ACT Test Camp and We Rise Reads programs, according to a 2024 Urban League Census. 'If you become educated and pass the bar exam, you can become the attorney general, if you want to be,' Fair said, adding that the organization should not focus on the past and stop focusing on the emotions of other people about the conditions of Black people. 'I think we have proven that you can be whatever you want to be if you are qualified to be what you want to be,' he said. Fair also said the negative attitudes Black people have about themselves need to change. 'At the Miami affiliate, we've proven that nothing stops us but us, and when we have a plan …then we are successful.'
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Urban League declares a ‘state of emergency' for civil rights in the U.S. in response to Trump
WASHINGTON — One of the nation's oldest civil rights organizations on Thursday declared a 'state of emergency' for antidiscrimination policies, personal freedoms and Black economic advancement in response to President Trump 's upending of civil rights precedents and the federal agencies traditionally tasked with enforcing them. The National Urban League's annual State of Black America report accuses the federal government of being 'increasingly determined to sacrifice its founding principles' and 'threatening to impose a uniform education system and a homogenous workforce that sidelines anyone who doesn't fit a narrow, exclusionary mold,' according to a copy obtained by the Associated Press. 'If left unchecked,' the authors write, 'they risk reversing decades of progress that have made America more dynamic, competitive, and just.' The report, to be released Thursday at the group's conference in Cleveland, Ohio, criticizes the administration for downsizing federal agencies and programs that enforce civil rights policies. The authors aimed to highlight what they saw as a multiyear, coordinated effort by conservative legal activists, lawmakers and media personalities to undermine civil rights policy and create a political landscape that would enable a hard-right agenda on a range of social and economic policy. 'It is not random. It is a well-funded, well-organized, well-orchestrated movement of many, many years,' said Marc Morial, president of the Urban League. 'For a long time, people saw white supremacist politics and white nationalism as on the fringe of American politics. It has now become the mainstream of the American right, whose central foundation is within the Republican Party.' The report directly critiques Project 2025, a sweeping blueprint for conservative governance coordinated by The Heritage Foundation think tank. Project 2025 advised approaches to federal worker layoffs, immigration enforcement and the congressional and legislative branches similar to the Trump administration's current strategy. The Urban League report condemns major corporations, universities and top law firms for reversing diversity, equity and inclusion policies. It also criticizes social media companies like Meta and X for purported 'censorship' of Black activists and creatives and content moderation policies that allegedly enabled 'extremists' to spread 'radicalizing' views. The Trump administration has said many policies implemented by both Democratic and Republican administrations are discriminatory and unconstitutional, arguing that acknowledgments of race and federal and corporate policies that seek to address disparities between different demographics are themselves discriminatory. Trump has signed executive orders banning 'illegal discrimination' and promoting 'merit based opportunity.' Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman, said civil rights groups that oppose the administration 'aren't advancing anything but hate and division, while the president is focused on uniting our country.' The report, meanwhile, calls for the creation of a 'new resistance' to counter the administration's agenda. Morial urged other organizations to rally to that cause. The Urban League and other civil rights groups have repeatedly sued the Trump administration since January. Liberal legal groups and Democratic lawmakers similarly sued over parts of the administration's agenda. Veteran civil rights activists, Black civic leaders, former federal officials, Illinois Atty. Gen. Kwame Raoul and seven members of Congress, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, contributed to the text. Raoul said that civil rights allies have felt 'on the defense' in recent years but that now 'it's time to act affirmatively.' For instance, if rollbacks of DEI policies result in discrimination against women or people of color legal action could follow, he warned. 'It all depends on how they do it. We're going to be watching,' he said. 'And just because the Trump administration doesn't believe in disparate impact anymore doesn't mean the rest of the universe must believe that.' The report criticizes the Trump administration's efforts to shutter the Education Department, and denounces changes to programs meant to support communities of color at the departments of Commerce, Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development, among others. The transformation of the Justice Department's civil rights division was singled out as 'an existential threat to civil rights enforcement.' The Justice Department pointed to its published civil rights policy and a social media post from its civil rights arm that reads the division 'has returned to enforcing the law as written: fairly, equally, and without political agenda.' Nevada Rep. Steve Horsford, a contributor to the report, said Trump 'betrayed the American people' in enacting plans he said were similar to Project 2025. Another contributor, Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said civil rights advocates and their Democratic allies must do more to communicate with and educate people. 'When you have an administration that's willing to take civil rights gains and call it reverse racism, then there's a lot of work to be done to unpack that for folks,' the New York Democrat said. 'I think once people understand their connection to civil rights gains, then we will be in a position to build that momentum.' The Urban League originally planned to focus its report on the legacy of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for the law's 60th anniversary but pivoted after Trump returned to office to focus on 'unpacking the threats to our democracy' and steps civil rights advocates are taking to pull the country back from 'the brink of a dangerous tilt towards authoritarianism.' For many veteran civil rights activists, the administration's changes are condemnable but not surprising. Some lawmakers see it as a duty to continue the long struggle for civil rights. 'I think it's all part of the same struggle,' said Rep. Shomari Figures, an Alabama Democrat who contributed to the report and whose father was successfully brought a wrongful-death suit against a branch of the Ku Klux Klan. 'At the end of the day, that struggle boils down to: Can I be treated like everybody else in this country?' Brown writes for the Associated Press.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Civil rights group declares 'state of emergency,' pointing at Trump admin
The National Urban League is sounding the alarm, asserting that there is a "state of emergency" in the country. The organization's "State of Black America" report for 2025 titled "State of Emergency: Democracy, Civil Rights, and Progress Under Attack," takes aim at the Trump administration. "Almost daily, since January 20, 2025, the federal government, at the direction of the White House, has set fire to policies and entire departments dedicated to protecting civil and human rights, providing access to an equal education, fair housing, safe and effective healthcare, and ensuring that our democratic process is adhered to across the nation," the report claims. White House spokesman Harrison Fields pushed back in a statement to Fox News Digital. "These so-called civil rights groups aren't advancing anything but hate and division, while the President is focused on uniting our country, improving our economy, securing our borders, and establishing peace across the globe," Fields said in the statement. "This is the same vision for America that a record number of Black Americans supported in the resounding reelection of President Trump. The Democrats have sold out Black voters to appease their base, which consists of illegals, the pronoun police, purple-haired lunatics, and radical anti-Semites." National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial declared in the report, "The notion that we are living through a 'state of emergency' is not rhetorical flourish. It is an honest reckoning with a government increasingly determined to sacrifice its founding principles—equality, liberty, and justice—rather than accept the truth of a diversifying nation and deliver equitable opportunity to all." The report claims that the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department has been twisted "into a tool for political retribution." "Under its new leadership, the Civil Rights Division has been hollowed out and repurposed— transforming from a guardian of justice into a tool for political retribution," the report asserts. "The radicalization of the DOJ is more than bureaucratic rot—it is an existential threat to civil rights enforcement, allowing discrimination to flourish unchecked under the false guise of 'reverse racism.'" The report, which includes House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. and several other U.S. lawmakers among the list of contributors, speaks favorably about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. "In short, DEI policies don't just level the playing field in education and employment; they fortify democracy itself. By expanding opportunities, ensuring equitable access to information, and creating leadership pipelines, DEI helps guarantee that every American—not just the privileged few— can contribute to the nation's future," the report declares.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Urban League declares a ‘state of emergency' for civil rights in the US in response to Trump
Report critiques racism entering 'mainstream' of American politics The report, to be released Thursday at the group's conference in Cleveland, Ohio, criticizes the administration for downsizing federal agencies and programs that enforce civil rights policies. The authors aimed to highlight what they saw as a multiyear, coordinated effort by conservative legal activists, lawmakers and media personalities to undermine civil rights policy and create a political landscape that would enable a hard-right agenda on a range of social and economic policy. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'It is not random. It is a well-funded, well-organized, well-orchestrated movement of many, many years,' said Marc Morial, president of the Urban League. 'For a long time, people saw white supremacist politics and white nationalism as on the fringe of American politics. It has now become the mainstream of the American right, whose central foundation is within the Republican Party.' Advertisement The report directly critiques Project 2025, a sweeping blueprint for conservative governance coordinated by The Heritage Foundation think tank. Project 2025 advised approaches to federal worker layoffs, immigration enforcement and the congressional and legislative branches similar to the Trump administration's current strategy. Advertisement The Urban League report condemns major corporations, universities and top law firms for reversing diversity, equity and inclusion policies. It also criticizes social media companies like Meta and X for purported 'censorship' of Black activists and creatives and content moderation policies that allegedly enabled 'extremists' to spread 'radicalizing' views. Debates over civil rights enter the center of the political fray The Trump administration has said many policies implemented by both Democratic and Republican administrations are discriminatory and unconstitutional, arguing that acknowledgments of race and federal and corporate policies that seek to address disparities between different demographics are themselves discriminatory. Trump has signed executive orders banning 'illegal discrimination' and promoting 'merit based opportunity.' Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman, said civil rights groups that oppose the administration 'aren't advancing anything but hate and division, while the president is focused on uniting our country.' The report, meanwhile, calls for the creation of a 'new resistance' to counter the administration's agenda. Morial urged other organizations to rally to that cause. The Urban League and other civil rights groups have repeatedly sued the Trump administration since January. Liberal legal groups and Democratic lawmakers similarly sued over parts of the administration's agenda. Veteran civil rights activists, Black civic leaders, former federal officials, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and seven members of Congress, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, contributed to the text. Raoul said that civil rights allies have felt 'on the defense' in recent years but that now 'it's time to act affirmatively.' For instance, if rollbacks of DEI policies result in discrimination against women or people of color legal action could follow, he warned. Advertisement 'It all depends on how they do it. We're going to be watching,' he said. 'And just because the Trump administration doesn't believe in disparate impact anymore doesn't mean the rest of the universe must believe that.' The report criticizes the Trump administration's efforts to shutter the Education Department, and denounces changes to programs meant to support communities of color at the departments of Commerce, Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development, among others. The transformation of the Justice Department'scivil rights division was singled out as 'an existential threat to civil rights enforcement.' The Justice Department pointed to its published civil rights policy and a social media post from its civil rights arm that reads the division 'has returned to enforcing the law as written: fairly, equally, and without political agenda.' Nevada Rep. Steve Horsford, a contributor to the report, said Trump 'betrayed the American people' in enacting plans he said were similar to Project 2025. Lawmakers reflect on the long fight for civil rights Another contributor, Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said civil rights advocates and their Democratic allies must do more to communicate with and educate people. 'When you have an administration that's willing to take civil rights gains and call it reverse racism, then there's a lot of work to be done to unpack that for folks,' the New York Democrat said. 'I think once people understand their connection to civil rights gains, then we will be in a position to build that momentum.' The Urban League originally planned to focus its report on the legacy of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for the law's 60th anniversary but pivoted after Trump returned to office to focus on 'unpacking the threats to our democracy' and steps civil rights advocates are taking to pull the country back from 'the brink of a dangerous tilt towards authoritarianism.' Advertisement For many veteran civil rights activists, the administration's changes are condemnable but not surprising. Some lawmakers see it as a duty to continue the long struggle for civil rights. 'I think it's all part of the same struggle,' said Rep. Shomari Figures, an Alabama Democrat who contributed to the report and whose father was successfully brought a wrongful-death suit against a branch of the Ku Klux Klan. 'At the end of the day, that struggle boils down to: Can I be treated like everybody else in this country?'
Boston Globe
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
A guide to what the Juneteenth holiday is and how to celebrate it
Still, many people anticipate getting Juneteenth off work. There are a plethora of street festivals, fairs, concerts and other events planned throughout the week leading into the holiday. But with the current political climate, some may wonder if their company will honor it. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I don't think anyone should be intimidated or obligated into not celebrating the day,' said Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League. 'I've not heard of anyone being denied. I think it would be absolutely reprehensible.' Advertisement People who never gave the occasion more than a passing thought may be asking themselves, is there a 'right' way to celebrate Juneteenth? For beginners and those brushing up on history, here are some answers: Is Juneteenth more of a solemn day of remembrance or a party? It depends on what you want. Juneteenth festivities are rooted in cookouts and picnics. Originally celebrated as Black Americans' true Independence Day, outdoor events allowed for large, raucous reunions among formerly enslaved family, many of whom had been separated. The gatherings were especially revolutionary because they were free of restrictive measures, known as 'Black Codes,' enforced in Confederate states. Codes controlled whether liberated slaves could vote, buy property, gather for worship and other aspects of daily life. Advertisement Last year, the White House kicked things off early with a concert on the South Lawn for Juneteenth and Black Music Month. The atmosphere was primarily festive with Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black vice president, dancing on stage with gospel singer Kirk Franklin. Plans for a Juneteenth event or proclamation this year have not been decided, according to the White House press office. Others may choose to treat Juneteenth as a day of rest and remembrance. That can mean doing community service, attending an education panel or taking time off. 'The most important thing everyone should do is be able to quickly answer the question 'What is Juneteenth?'' Morial said. What if you've never celebrated Juneteenth? Dr. David Anderson, a Black pastor and CEO of Gracism Global, a consulting firm helping leaders navigate conversations bridging divides across race and culture, never did anything on Juneteenth in his youth. He didn't learn about it until his 30s. 'I think many folks haven't known about it — who are even my color as an African American male. Even if you heard about it and knew about it, you didn't celebrate it,' Anderson said. 'It was like just a part of history. It wasn't a celebration of history.' For many African Americans, the farther away from Texas that they grew up increased the likelihood they didn't have big Juneteenth celebrations regularly. In the South, the day can vary based on when word of Emancipation reached each state. Advertisement What kind of public Juneteenth events are taking place? Search online and you will find gatherings nationwide varying in scope and tone. Some are more carnivalesque festivals with food trucks, arts and crafts and parades. Within those festivals, you'll likely find information on health care, finance and community resources. There also are concerts and fashion shows to highlight Black creativity. There will also be panels to educate about Juneteenth's history. The National Park Service is again making entry into all sites free on the holiday, according to its website. Are there special Juneteenth decorations or foods? The red, black and green African Liberation Flag, also known as the Pan-African flag, has historically been displayed at both Black History Month and Juneteenth celebrations. Red represents bloodshed and sacrifice of enslaved ancestors. Black symbolizes Black people. Green represents richness of the land in Africa. More people, however, have leaned into the Juneteenth flag created in 1997 by activist Ben Haith, who founded the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation. Like the American flag, it is red, white and blue to indicate those freed are also Americans. The five-point white star in the middle is a tribute to Juneteenth's birthplace of Texas. It is encircled by another white starry line that represents the spreading of freedom. Aside from barbecue, the color red has been a through line for Juneteenth food for generations. Red symbolizes the bloodshed and sacrifice of enslaved ancestors. A Juneteenth menu might incorporate items like barbecued ribs or other red meat, watermelon and red velvet cake. Drinks like fruit punch and red Kool-Aid may make an appearance at the table. In recent years, Juneteenth has become more commercialized with national chains selling Juneteenth party supplies, T-shirts and other merchandise. However, this year, Juneteenth items appear to be fewer or only online. Morial says he would be disappointed if companies decided selling Juneteenth items out in the open was too risky because of politics. At the same time, it might be a good opportunity for consumers. Advertisement 'I would also encourage people to go online and look for an African American vendor,' Morial said. 'If you got to participate in that (commercialism), that's what I would do.' Does how you celebrate Juneteenth matter if you aren't Black? Dr. Karida Brown, a sociology professor at Emory University whose research focuses on race, said there's no reason to feel awkward about wanting to recognize Juneteenth just because you have no personal ties or you're not Black. In fact, embrace it. 'I would reframe that and challenge my non-Black folks who want to lean into Juneteenth and celebrate,' Brown said. 'It absolutely is your history. It absolutely is a part of your experience. ... Isn't this all of our history? The good, the bad, the ugly, the story of emancipation and freedom for your Black brothers and sisters under the Constitution of the law.' What are other names used to refer to Juneteenth? Over the decades, Juneteenth has also been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Black Fourth of July and second Independence Day among others. 'Because 1776, Fourth of July, where we're celebrating freedom and liberty and all of that, that did not include my descendants,' Brown said. 'Black people in America were still enslaved. So that that holiday always comes with a bittersweet tinge to it.' Is there a proper Juneteenth greeting? It's typical to wish people a 'Happy Juneteenth' or 'Happy Teenth,' according to Alan Freeman, a comedian who has organized a June 19 comedy show at Club 68, which local media has described as the last Black bar and club on Galveston Island. The day after he will host a stand-up comedy and jazz show at his Houston restaurant and lounge, the Frisky Whisky. Advertisement 'You know how at Christmas people will say 'Merry Christmas' to each other and not even know each other?' Freeman said. 'You can get a 'Merry Christmas' from everybody. This is the same way.'
