FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:

Leslie A. Dunbar, (212)558-5438

Dachell McSween, (212)558-5315

New York, NY, July 27, 2000–The National Urban League, in a move that establishes it as one of the leading African American non-profit organizations in the scholarship business, will announce that it is issuing close to two million dollars in college scholarships in 2000 as part of its Campaign for African American Achievement Scholarship Program.

Through grants provided by the Lilly Endowment Inc., Freddie Mac and Reginald Brack, Jr., the League will provide 184 students with scholarships totaling $1,840,000 over the next four years. Students can use the funds at any institution of higher learning they wish.

The League is making its announcement on Fri, Jul. 28, during the National Urban League Incentive to Excel and Succeed (NULITES) Awards Dinner (5:00 PM to 7:15 PM) during its annual NULITES Youth Summit. The Summit commenced on Thurs., July 27 and concludes Sun., July 30

"The League has long fostered the academic achievement of its youngest constituents through programs such as NULITES," said National Urban League president Hugh B. Price. "In the fall of 1997, we brought all of those programs under one umbrella, the Campaign for African Achievement.

Now, with this move into the scholarship arena, we are not only strengthening the scope of the Campaign for African American Achievement, we are also helping youth secure access to higher education, which is one of the main ingredients in the formula for success."

Under the auspices of the Lilly Endowment and Reginald Brack, Jr., high school students receive $10,000 over four years. Students receiving Freddie Mac awards–also at the high school level–draw $5,000 per year for two years.

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An Urban League tradition which precedes the League\'s annual conference, the NULITES Youth Summit hosts up to 500 young people ages 14 to 19 (and their chaperones) for four to five days, to engage them in educational, social and leadership activities.

Summit participants this year include former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, actress Stacey Dash (Clueless) and Bill Stephney, CEO of StepSun Music, and music director for the motion picture Shaft.

The National Urban League\\\'s Campaign for African American Achievement is a movement that seeks to raise the achievement levels and strengthen the social skills of African American and other children of color, through advocacy, hands-on programming and policy reform. The Campaign is an aggressive collaboration with the Congress of National Black Churches (65,000 churches nationwide) and more than 20 African American organizations including faith-based, social, civic and professional groups.

The NULITES program is an essential component in mobilizing Urban League communities to enhance the educational and social development of their children. Members of local NULITES chapters–under the guidance of adult advisors–develop and implement their own programs, and members of the national youth committee play a central role in developing and staging the annual NULITES Youth Summit.

Founded in 1910, the National Urban League is a nonprofit organization that, through its 114 affiliates in 34 states and the District of Columbia, provides direct services and functions as an advocate to generate policy reforms that empower African-Americans to achieve economic, academic and racial equality. The League’s headquarters is located at 120 Wall Street in New York City.