National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial today introduced a new phase of advocacy and activism – Empowerment 2.0 – that builds upon the five-part Empowerment Agenda he unveiled in his first State of the Urban League address 20 years ago.
Morial Commits Urban League Movement to Three Ds: Defend Democracy, Demand DE&I, Defeat Poverty
HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 27, 2003) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial today introduced a new phase of advocacy and activism – Empowerment 2.0 – that builds upon the five-part Empowerment Agenda he unveiled in his first State of the Urban League address 20 years ago.
Built on the foundation of the organization’s five pillars, Employment, Education, Housing, Healthcare, and Justice, Empowerment 2.0 encompasses what Morial called The Three Ds: Defend Democracy, Demand Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Defeat Poverty.
“We are engaged in a battle for the future of this nation,” Morial said in his annual address to the National Urban League Conference. “It is clear that the progress, hard fought, since the Brown decision, is under assault on every front. From the Supreme Court to right-wing state legislatures, to cable talk shows, to the utterances of some Governors, presidential candidates, members of Congress and the United States Senate – it seems they are trying to bend that moral arc not toward justice, but backward to a dark time, long gone.
“With the Three Ds as our battle cry and our clarion call, this generation of Urban League leaders, supporters, and CEOs, is prepared to face the headwinds that lie before us.”
Morial assailed the policies of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, which have promoted voter suppression, gerrymandered legislative districts, undermined book banning and distortion of history, and life-threatening restrictions on reproductive rights.
“We have come to Houston because Texas seems to be in a race to the bottom of the barrel, reveling in the rolling back of civil rights and advancing the cause of racial injustice, not justice,” Morial said.
Morial reflected on his 20-year journey leading “an iconic organization of the 20th Century” and retooling it for the 21st Century.
“The 20th century Civil Rights Movement of our fathers and grandfathers was a movement to defeat Jim Crow,” he said. “In 2003, we were facing a new villain: James Crow, Esquire. James wore a suit and a tie instead of a robe and hood. James would never utter the n-word in public. Instead, he would winkingly refer to ‘states’ rights’ and ‘welfare queens.’
“Today, we are facing the son of James and the grandson of Jim: Jimmy Crow,” he said. “Jimmy’s not content with suppressing Black votes; he wants the power to ignore election results altogether. He fiercely guards the symbols of white supremacy his grandfather erected on town squares and courthouse grounds to intimidate Black Americans. He rants about ‘replacement theory’ and ‘Critical Race Theory.’”
The National Urban League Conference continues through Saturday at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. For more information, visit NUL.org