MEDIA ADVISORY
CONTACT: Teresa Candori
(646) 319-0891

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE TO CELEBRATE ITS CENTENNIAL FOUNDERS DAY
Affiliates across the country join in nationwide celebration

NEW YORK (September 27, 2010) -- As it launches its second century of economic empowerment leadership, the National Urban League and more than 70 affiliates across the country will recognize the inspiration and vision of George Edmund Haynes and Ruth Standish Baldwin with a Centennial Founders’ Day Celebration on Wednesday, September 29, 2010.

“It’s been a remarkable century for the Urban League Movement,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “We’ve made great strides, opened many doors and turned a climate of fear into a climate of hope. But more work remains to be done, and we are guided by the spirit of determination and dedication that moved our founders.”

“Congratulations to the National Urban League on its centennial celebration,” said Marvin Odum, President, Shell Oil Company, sponsor of the National Urban League Founders’ Day Reception. “I am proud that Shell and the National Urban league have fostered a long, productive relationship to advance educational and economic opportunities for people of color – a partnership that closely aligns with Shell’s firm commitment to diversity and inclusiveness at all levels throughout our organization.”

Morial and Odum will host a Founders’ Day Reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, September 28, at Le Parker Meridien Hotel, 119 W. 56th St. in New York. Actress and comedienne Phyllis Yvonne Stickney is the mistress of ceremonies, and entertainment will be provided by jazz flutist Sherry Winston.

Similar celebrations are being held around the country: Among other activities, the New York Urban League has scheduled an Open House and Neighborhood Day; the Charleston, S.C. affiliate will receive a proclamation from the mayor; and the Urban League of Columbus, GA, will rally to get out the vote. The Urban League of Chattanooga, TN, has a full day of activities planned, including a scholar’s fair, a Federal Reserve Bank listening tour and an open house.

To contact an affiliate for more information, click here:
http://www.nul.org/in-your-area/affiliate-map

Media wishing to attend the New York reception should contact Teresa Candori at tcandori@nul.org or 646-319-0891.

The National Urban League was founded by social worker Haynes, the first African-American to earn a PhD from Columbia University, and Baldwin, a wealthy Caucasian social activist. The League grew out of the merging of three fledgling organizations: the Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, the National League for the Protection of Colored Women, and the Committee for Improving the Industrial Conditions of Negroes in New York.

For more information, visit www.IAMEMPOWERED.com

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The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy. Today, there are more than 100 local affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide.