A Call to Action For Young Professionals to Join the Urban League Movement

1963 March on Washington

2013 is significant and symbolic year.  It marks the 50^th Anniversary of the March On Washington, Dr. King penned the famous ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’, the Bombing of the 16^th Street Baptist Church, as well as the Assassinations of President Kennedy and the NAACP’s Medgar Evers.  These moments signaled a turning point in American history, and as we pause to reflect on their significance we cannot help but see both how far we have come – and how far we still must go.

Right here in our own community, over half of our 3^rd graders are reading well below grade level; unemployment in some neighborhoods for Black, Latino and poor white young adults is more than double – and in some cases triple – the national average.  Gun violence, drugs and prisons claim many of our young men and (increasingly) women.  Our schools are failing, our neighborhoods are failing, we have so much more and accomplish so much less than our forefathers - and many of us are standing on the sidelines watching it happen.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

History shows us what can happen when a few people stand up and get involved.  60 people changed history when they met to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).  With ONE staff member, no cell phones, no faxes, no internet – these 60 people volunteered to change the face of American life. 

Today, we are faced with daunting challenges.  But working together, we can help Rebuild America and the American Dream.  The Greater Sacramento Urban League (GSUL) and the GSUL Young Professionals are part of a nation-wide Urban League Movement to empower communities and change lives.  The Young Professionals (or YP’s) are critical to the success of the Movement because they help to magnify and sustain the Movement with their talent, energy, intelligence and commitment.  In Sacramento, YP’s are on the front lines, monitoring (and even serving on) school boards, city councils, special districts and special committees; they support community-based efforts to improve our communities and outcomes for our families; and their service to the community helps to perpetuate a culture of service and service for humanity that calls others to the Movement.

  

By joining YP, you get a chance to be a part of something larger than yourself – a national movement where young professionals from all corners of the country, from all walks of life, are working together to make a difference.  You will be connected with positive, talented, and motivated people just like you; and you will have the opportunity to develop yourself professionally and personally – and have some fun along the way! 

We are moving forward to “Be the Change” we want to see in our community, and you are invited to join us!  We cannot do it without you.

Yours in the Movement,

David B. DeLuz
President/CEO
Greater Sacramento Urban League

For more information, visit www.joinyp.org and www.gsul.org