New York, NY. - November 8, 2006 - The National Urban League's 50th anniversary Equal Opportunity Day Awards Dinner earlier this month had 950 attendees and raised $1.7 million, up from $1.5 million in 2005. An additional $500,000 was donated by Pitney Bowes for the league's Adolescent Literacy Program.

The annual EOD Awards Dinner honors individuals and corporations who perpetuate the principle of equal opportunity and who exhibit leadership qualities that result in notable contributions to the cause of equal rights. Inspired by Abraham Lincoln's immortal words -- "All men are created equal," the awards honor a host of distinguished individuals in many walks of life who have made substantial contributions to the fight for equal opportunity.

This year the dinner, which took place at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan, recognized U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao with the National Public Service Award; former NUL President Hugh Price and outgoing Chairman of the Board Michael J. Critelli with the Leadership Award; Nissan North America with the Corporate Leadership Award; and filmmaker Spike Lee for a Special Recognition Award.

The evening kicked off with the induction of the Homeownership Preservation Foundation, Eli Lilly and Company, Andrew C. Taylor (Chairman and CEO of Enterprise Rent-A-Car) and Wachovia into the $1 Million Hall of Fame and of WAL-MART and BP into the $5 Million Hall of Fame.

James C. Morton, vice chairman of Nissan North America, accepted the Corporate Leadership Award on behalf of the company. Nissan served as title sponsor for the 2006 Annual Conference Career Fair and as EOD dinner chair in 2005. The company has been a strong supporter of the Black Executive Exchange Program (BEEP) and during past annual conferences served on the diversity panel and as a judge for the student case-study competition. Nissan's own "Enriching People's Lives" program seeks to improve the quality of life in communities where the company operates.

The next honoree U.S. Labor Secretary Chao was introduced by Alexis Herman, a former secretary of labor. Chao, the nation's 24th Secretary of Labor and first Asian American woman appointed to a president's cabinet, came to America from Asia at the age of eight speaking no English.

In accepting the Public Service Award, Chao told the audience that the Labor Department and the National Urban League shared many common goals - a commitment to diversity, a passion for equal opportunity and a dedication to U.S. workers.

"The Department and the Urban League collaborate on many partnerships that are producing results for America's workers and fighting discrimination," she said.

During her tenure, the department has made outreach to traditionally underserved communities a top priority. In 2003, she launched the annual Opportunity Conference, and sponsored a leadership summit with historically black colleges and universities to educate African Americans about new opportunities in high-growth sectors of the U.S. economy. In 2006, the department provided two grants to the NUL -- $20 million over two years for the Urban Youth Empowerment Program and $8.2 million over one year for seniors' job training.

Hugh Price, former National Urban League president and now a senior fellow at the prestigious Brookings Institution, was introduced to the audience by Jonathan Linen, who chaired the NUL board during his presidency.

In accepting the Leadership Award, Price told the audience that he's always said that heading up the Urban League was the job of a lifetime. As president from 1994 to 2003, Price devised a new mission and strategic vision for the league in the 21st Century; tripled the league's endowment; created and launched the historic Campaign for African-American Achievement; established the NUL Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.; and resurrected Opportunity Journal, the league's landmark magazine.

Spike Lee, who received the Special Recognition Award, reminded the audience that "New Orleans is unfinished." Lee's HBO documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts casts a critical eye upon the U.S. government's response in the aftermath through the words and images of the victims. He said to dinner attendees that many of his subjects who have stayed in touch, continue to remind him -- "Don't forget about us."

With numerous films to his credit, including Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X, and widely regarded as today's premier African-American filmmaker, Lee has never shirked from addressing controversial social and political issues in his work, pursuing an artistic vision that is both courageous and provocative.

Michael Critelli, chairman of the board and CEO at Pitney Bowes, Inc., and in his third term as NUL Board of Trustees chairman, said he was "just floored to be on the same stage" with the other honorees, upon acceptance of the Leadership Award.

Critelli described the Urban League movement's work as an "example of breaking down silos." In presenting the award to the board chairman, NUL President Marc H. Morial said: "No one has been more deserving." Critelli then presented Morial with a check for $500,000 for adolescent literacy efforts.

The dinner was be co-chaired by John D. Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil Company, and Stephen S. Rasmussen, president and chief operating office of Nationwide Property and Casualty Insurance Operations. Actor Avery Brooks and Lori Stokes, anchor of WABC-TV's Eyewitness News, served as masters of ceremony. And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a cameo appearance during the pre-dinner reception earlier in the evening.

In 1956, the National Urban League held its first Equal Opportunity Day dinner, bestowing awards upon U.S. Department of Labor Secretary James P. Mitchell and Jacob S. Potofsky, president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. Past honorees include: Muhammad Ali, Hillary Rodham and William Jefferson Clinton, Iman, Quincy Jones and Edgar Bronfman, among others, have been honorees.

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