Closing the Divide in the Black Community

By Whittney McPherson

GSULYP recently held its second Pizza & Politics event to discuss the socioeconomic divide within the black community and possible solutions to bridge this chasm. The discussion included a viewing of the PBS documentary, "Two Nations of Black America" which highlights this gap in depth with narration by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This commentary is from one of the event's attendees.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his renowned “I Have a Dream” speech during the largest civil rights demonstration in history. Dr. Kings’ powerful dialect, coupled with the delivery in his dynamic voice, ignited a nation in racial turmoil to act. So why then, forty years after Dr. Kings’ powerful call-to-action for equality, is the black community being faced with internal separation?

This is a question posed by Harvard Scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in his 1998 documentary “Two Nations of Black America.” In this documentary, Gates chronicles his life as a Harvard scholar in comparison to lower socioeconomic blacks to demonstrate the social disparities amongst blacks. Gates also uses testimonies from prominent black figures such as: Julian Bond, Eldridge Cleaver, Kathleen Cleaver, Angela Davis, Christopher Edley, Jesse Jackson, Quincy Jones, Maulana Karenga, Cornel West, and William Julius Wilson to explore the depths of the Civil Rights Movement and current situations for African-Americans.

Despite the fact that the Civil Rights Movement united a nation towards a common goal of equal opportunities to all Americans, it may have created a divide within the black community. During the Civil Rights Movement, blacks had something to stand for – their common goal for equality. However, many blacks determined to make a violent, public stance for equality, gave little to no room for Dr. Kings’ peaceful movement creating a chasm in the community. Now, decades later, many blacks have reaped the benefits of civil rights laws that have been implemented, while others are sadly being left behind.

“Thirty years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, how have we reached this point where we have both the largest black middle class and the largest underclass in our history?” ~ Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Last month, GSULYP held its second Pizza & Politics event to view “Two Nations of Black America” and to discuss this poignant question. GSULYP members and community members conversed about their reactions to the documentary as well as current and next steps being utilized to eliminate the separation between lower socioeconomic and middle class blacks in Sacramento.

Attendees brainstormed various causes for this divide, and more importantly, multiple solutions. The class divide can, in many ways, be attributed to the disparity in the educational system that we, as a nation, are currently being faced with. This disparity affects lower socioeconomic areas and creates an unfair disadvantage in terms of advancement in society for lower class blacks. Furthermore, the educational achievements of other blacks is making it easier for them to relate to their educated white peers rather than lower class blacks, creating a gap in the black community.

So, how do we lessen the cultural divide amongst blacks? It is going to take the support of blacks who have reached certain levels of accomplishment to contribute back to the black community. It is also going to depend on the willingness of lower socioeconomic families to be involved with their children’s success. Through volunteering at schools, and other civic duties, middle class blacks can give disadvantaged blacks a better opportunity towards attainment.

Urban League Executive Profile: Eugene Kinkle Jones

Eugene Kinkle Jones was one of the seven founders or Jewels of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Executive Secretary of the National Urban League for over 40 years.  His 40 years of service to the Urban League have not been topped by any of his predecessors.  Jones was born on July 30, 1885 in Richmond, Virginia.  His father, Joseph was a former slave but his mother, Rosa was born free.  Jones attended Wayland Academy, a high school arm of Virginia Union University where his father, Joseph Jones was a professor and his mother Rosa was a teacher.  Upon graduation from high school, Jones entered Virginia Union, earning an undergraduate degree in 1905. 

In the fall of 1906, Jones began his Master's Degree program at Cornell University.  it was there where Jones joined up with 6 other young black men to form the first black greek fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha incorporated on December 4, 1906.  Jones served as the 2nd chapter president.  Jones organized the 1st three chapters that branched out from Cornell; Howard University, Virginia Union University and the University of Toronto.  Jones taught at the University of Louisville from 1908-1909 and was married to Blanche Rubie Watson in 1909.  The couple had 2 children.  

In 1911 Jones was appointed as a field secretary to the National Urban League (NUL).  In 1918, Jones was appointed as the Executive Secretary to the NUL where he served until his retirement in 1941.  As Executive Secretary he led a campaign to undermine the barriers to black employment.  This campaign often included boycotts against firms that refused to employ African American workers.  Jones also worked to expand vocational opportunities for young African Americans and sought a greater role for blacks in previously segregated labor unions.  By the 1920′s, he had organized offices in forty cities and his budget had increased to a million dollars. The organization also published a magazine, Opportunity.  

By 1930, the National Urban League was recognized as one of the most significant forces in American life. It’s influence was felt wherever there were problems of racial adjustment between whites and African Americans. Through the efforts of Jones and his staff, social problems of Black Americans were lifted into the realm of science and research. Many young men and women began to find opportunities in the field of social work. In 1932, he was appointed by President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt as a member of his “black” cabinet, also known as the “kitchen cabinet.” Jones served as an advisor of Negro Affairs in the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce with the Department of Commerce between 1933-1937.

Under Jones' direction at the National Urban League, over 200,000 African-American workers were placed in positions, a stellar and remarkable accomplishment. Jones remarked about his retirement and the progress of race relations he witnessed in his lifetime:

“Much of it resulted not from mass pressure or political compromise, but from logic, understanding, goodwill and common sense. I truly believe that it is economically and socially better to treat people fairly, and it is possible to convince others of that.”

Jones died on January 11, 1954.  By that time the National Urban League had fifty eight affiliates in twenty nine states, a staff of 399 and a budget of $1.5 million dollars.

By Zeke Ivy

An American Powerbroker: Whitney M. Young

Whitney M. Young was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, on July 31, 1921. His father was the president of the Lincoln Institute, which was where Whitney was raised and educated. Whitney's mother, Laura Young, was the first female postmistress in Kentucky, the first African-American postmistress in Kentucky, and the second in the United States. Young earned a B.S. degree from Kentucky State University, a historically black institution. At Kentucky State, Young became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

During World War II, Young was trained in electrical engineering at MIT. He was then assigned to a road construction crew of black soldiers supervised by Southern white officers. After just three weeks, he was promoted from private to first sergeant, creating hostility on both sides. Despite the tension, Young was able to mediate effectively between his white officers and black soldiers angry at their poor treatment. This situation propelled Young into a career in race relations.

John F. Kennedy, Whitney Young, and Henry Steeger in the Oval Office (Credit: John F. Kennedy Library)

After the war, Young joined his wife, Margaret, at the University of Minnesota, where he earned a Masters Degree in social work in 1947 and volunteered for the St. Paul branch of the National Urban League. He was then appointed to a leadership position in that branch.

In 1950, Young became President of the National Urban League's Omaha, Nebraska chapter. In that position, he helped get black workers into jobs previously reserved for whites. Under his leadership, the chapter tripled its number of paying members.

In 1961, at age 40, Young became Executive Director of the National Urban League. Within four years he expanded the organization from 38 employees to 1,600 employees; and from an annual budget of $325,000 to one of $6,100,000. He was President of the National Urban League from 1961 until his death in 1971.

The Urban League had traditionally been a cautious and moderate organization with many white members. During Young's ten-year tenure at the League, he brought the organization to the forefront of the American Civil Rights Movement. He both greatly expanded its mission and kept the support of influential white business and political leaders. As part of the League's new mission, Young initiated programs like "Street Academy", an alternative education system to prepare high school dropouts for college, and "New Thrust", an effort to help local black leaders identify and solve community problems.

Young also pushed for federal aid to cities, proposing a domestic "Marshall Plan". This plan, which called for $145 billion in spending over 10 years, was partially incorporated into President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty. Young described his proposals for integration, social programs, and affirmative action in his two books, To Be Equal (1964) and Beyond Racism (1969).

As executive director of the League, Young pushed major corporations to hire more blacks. In doing so, he fostered close relationships with CEOs such as Henry Ford II, leading some blacks to charge that Young had sold out to the white establishment. Young denied these charges and stressed the importance of working within the system to effect change. Still, Young was not afraid to take a bold stand in favor of civil rights. For instance, in 1963, Young was one of the organizers of the March on Washington despite the opposition of many white business leaders. Young had a particularly close relationship with President Johnson, and in 1969, Johnson honored Young with the highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Young had a successful tenure at the Urban League but it came to an abrupt end in 1971, he tragically drowned while on vacation in Lagos, Nigeria.  However his legacy will live on forever.

By James Shelby II

Urban League Throughout American History

Throughout major events in American history, the Urban League was there.  The Urban League tirelessly advocated for dignity, equality and opportunity for Black Americans during the Great Depression, New Deal, World War 2 and the struggle for Civil Rights.  Today the Urban League continues its advocacy and empowerment of historically under-served communities in America.  This Black History Highlight will review the Urban League's efforts to advocate for our communities throughout major events in American history.

Great Depression Soup Line

The Great Depression
On October 29, 1929. The stock market crashed, bringing on the worst depression era that America and the world had ever seen.   Black unemployment rates were two to three times worse than those of whites, especially due to racial discrimination.  During the depression, in city after city, many businesses in Black neighborhoods refused to hire black workers.  The Urban League Chicago affiliate started a campaign with the slogan “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work”.   This campaign spread to other cities and made inroads into interracial hiring.  The League also organized its energies to help find jobs for blacks during Great Depression and put pressure on schools to provide training for young people.  

Black jackhammer operator at the Tennessee Valley Authority, June 1942. During the Great Depression, African Americans were especially hit hard with high unemployment rates. Some found relief however through the Roosevelt administration's "new deal". Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, New York.

Roosevelt and the New Deal
Roosevelt’s National Recovery Act was enacted to address the economic collapse, but often times the local administration of the program discriminated against blacks, often leaving blacks the choice of lower wages or no work.  Programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, and state programs like the Tennessee Valley Authority often excluded blacks from utilizing the services and opportunities provided.  

Two staff members of the League used their influences at the highest levels of power, ruthlessly advocating the Roosevelt administration on behalf of black Americans  T. Arnold Hill, who ran the Chicago Urban League and Eugene Kinckle Jones were known as the “briefcase boys” for their constant prodding of Washington officials to include blacks in New Deal recovery programs.  In addition to advocating for inclusion in government programs, the League also fought to get segregated labor unions to accept blacks in their membership.   

United We Win [World War II Poster] (1943) In an effort to counter the demoralizing effect of racial segregation and discrimination, the U.S. government launched several campaigns that highlighted the contributions of African Americans to the war effort. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD.

World War 2 During World War 2, blacks continued to face employment discrimination in defense work and the armed services.  Under the leadership of Lester Granger, the League through its own Industrial Relations Laboratory had notable success in cracking the color bar in numerous defense plants.  The nation's need for civilian labor during the war also helped the organization press ahead with greater urgency in its programs to train black youth for meaningful blue-collar employment.  After the war, the League expanded efforts to persuade Fortune 500 companies to hold career conferences on the campuses of Negro colleges and place blacks in upper echelon jobs.

March on Washington
The National Urban League joined with a coalition of civil rights organizations including the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to organize a 1963 March on Washington.  The Urban League headquarters were used to organize this march, in which the participating organizations worked past their ideological and organizational differences tocreate a successful event.  Urban League President, Whitney Young spoke had a pivotal role in organizing the march.  The 1963 March on Washington is credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the National Voting Rights Act (1965).

Throughout the years the National Urban League’s leaders continued making gains for the community.  In 1967, the League established a Veterans Affairs office in 1967 to care for the needs of black veterans. League President Vernan E. Jordan established a Voter Education Program that registered 36,154 black voters in ten cities.  Current League president Marc Morial established the National Urban League Empowerment Fund which has pumped almost $200 million into urban impact businesses.  Under his leadership, the League has ramped up efforts to advance a five point empowerment agenda for education, economics, health, civil rights and racial justice.

During some of the most trying moments in American history, the Urban League was there, tirelessly advocating for the black community.  A lot of these battles were long and hard fought, and at times it seemed as though progress was moving at a snail pace. Thanks to the efforts of the Urban League and many other civil rights organizations, we have made monumental strides towards achieving equality.  However, we have more work to do in order to bridge the gap.  Visit www.gsul.org, www.joinyp.org and www.nul.org for more information on how to advance the Urban League's Empowerment Agenda.

Yours in the Movement,
Danielle Williams

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

Black History Month Highlight: Origin of the National Urban League Movement

“Let us work not as a colored people nor as white people for the narrow benefit of any group alone, but together, as American citizens, for the common good of our common city, our common country”

                                                                                                          -Ruth Standish Baldwin

On September 29, 1910, the Committee on the Urban Conditions Among Negros was founded in New York. The cofounders were Dr. George Edmund Haynes and Mrs. Ruth Standish Baldwin- he  a black male, and she a white woman. The diverse and interracial character of the League’s board was set from its first days. He was a social worker and educator. His passion for improving the social welfare of African Americans was first started when he became interested in the social problems affecting black immigrants from the South in 1906. Mrs. Ruth Standish Baldwin was a philanthropist who championed for the poor and disadvantaged, with a focus on the health and welfare of Negro migrants.

In 1911, the Committee on the Urban Conditions Among Negros merged with the Committee for the Improvement of Industrial Conditions Among Negros in New York (founded in New York in 1906) and the National League for the Protection of Colored Women (founded in 1905), to form the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negros (ULUCAN).  Dr. George Edmund Haynes served as its first executive director from 1910-1918. It was later shortened in 1920, to what it is fondly known as, the National Urban League (NUL).

The National Urban League is the nation’s oldest and largest community-based movement dedicated to empowering African Americans. The mission of the movement is to enable African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights.  The mission continues to be carried out through the efforts of over 100 local affiliates of the NUL in 35 states and the District of Columbia.

In 1999, the National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP) was established in Houston, Texas. This branch of the NUL was created to develop the next generation of leaders. They support their affiliates by providing volunteer hours and raising dollars to support local UL programs and initiatives. Currently there are 53 chapters across the U.S.

-Breanna Myres

Empowering Communities.Changing Lives.

For more information please visit www.nul.org and www.nulyp.net

Sacramento’s Indivisible collective tackles the money problem in the black community

September 17, Indivisible Meeting

In February of 2011, Kevin Johnson was in the second part of his first term as the first black mayor of Sacramento.  This is a time when politicians often ask their political advisors questions about their prospects for re-election or seeking higher office.  Instead, Mayor Johnson asked an uncomfortable question about his effectiveness, not of his advisors, but of his constituency.   That question he posed to black Sacramentans was this: Is your life any better because I’m the mayor?  The answer—by and large—was a resounding “no”.  And so, the Indivisible collective was born.  Started as a few concerned citizens, the group grew to now over 200 monthly attendees dedicated to providing a presence (manpower) and buy in (financial backing) to issues related to improving the overall status of black Sacramentans. 

The framework Indivisible employed to organize itself was to amass people and resources to address three primary issues: Education, Economics and Politics.  For almost two years, the monthly meetings involved a community speaker, the mayor’s address, and some updates on two related groups, STAND UP and PAC Fifteen.  STAND UP is an education nonprofit working for teacher quality, accountability, school choice, parent engagement and effective policy and PAC Fifteen is a super political action committee dedicated to raising funds to support the campaigns of candidates for public service that will represent the best interests of the black community.    By most standards, the collective was impressively successful in such a short time.  STAND UP launched the Sacramento Reads program to improve elementary school literacy and the Freedom Writer’s Institute.  PAC Fifteen raised $50,000, thanks to a pro bono fundraiser with Roland Martin in May 2012, the money from which was helpful in getting Allen Wayne Warren elected to Sacramento City Council in District 2. 

As a product of Sacramento’s Oak Park community, this cause is very personal for Mayor Johnson.  However, he’s been careful not to alienate important supporters outside of the black community.  He constantly reminds Indivisible of our important allies and that being “pro black” does not mean being “anti-anyone else,” but that we need to change the trend that black people are “in last place for [indicators that measure] everything good and first place for everything bad.”  I can quote him on this because it is a staple part of his monthly address.  And, herein lies the inevitable critique; while the point cannot be reiterated enough, over time as I looked at the faces of the audience members, it began to feel as if he was preaching redemption to the converted, specifically those attending their fourth service of the day because they also sing in the choir. 

Month after month a growing number of community members attended the meetings and brought new people with them.  In fact, by September 2012, almost 700 people had attended at least one Indivisible meeting.   However, the group had difficulty month after month reaching the Mayor’s goal of having 200 people fill The Guild Theatre in Oak Park during the monthly meetings.  Part of the waning enthusiasm was that the details about how Indivisible was going to address the three priority areas seemed to lack direction.   The goal of simply “showing up” was not enough to keep a largely professional crowd coming each month, despite their high hopes for the ambitious Mayor and his newly formed group.  And so, the chorus of voices began to say, “I’m on the email list and I’ll come back when there’s something for me to do.” 

Coincidentally, after a few meetings with lower attendance than previously recorded, renewed enthusiasm for the group began when Indivisible sponsored a private viewing of “Won’t Back Down” in October.  Needless to say, a very spirited public conversation took place after the movie surrounding its controversial theme: the (false) dichotomy that teacher interests (read: unions) and child interests (read: achievement) are inherently at odds.  Despite a groundswell of interest in education, another key area began to have a little more weight in the mayor’s monthly address: economics.  Beginning with sharing the Urban League state of black America in the late summer, Mayor Johnson began to share information about generational poverty and generational wealth, the spending power of the black community, and the need for the restoration of community trust to make a collective impact.   And so, on December 17, he invited Melody Hobson, 43, President of Ariel Investments and newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors for DreamWorks, to speak on this topic.

To say her remarks were epic is an understatement.  Her rags to riches story inspires a naïve belief in the American Dream…. and possibly even Santa Claus, because if this woman can achieve the success she has, there’s nothing that anyone with willpower can’t do.  But therein lies the point, I think.  It actually isn’t magic.  Nor is it luck or happenstance.  Her story is remarkable in how much it relies on basic common sense and everyday experience.  A good example of this is illustrated in the story of the impetus for her life’s work.  Watching her mother squander money on unimportant things like Easter dresses when the light bill hadn’t been paid, made Melody determined to make different decisions and understand how money works.  Or, stated how your mother would say it, she learned early on that “doing the same thing (we’ve) always done gets us the same thing (we’ve) always gotten.”

Melody’s remarks were part inspirational speaker, part sister-friend, and part financial guru, precisely the thing that we need to cultivate in our community.  Her remarks taught the value of investing, especially in industries you know well, because your familiarity and expertise makes the process more personable and understandable. 

She had a special message to the women about the confidence of our voices. She spoke to the women about being unafraid to be irreverent and admonishing for asking for permission and undermining our own credibility by being afraid to speak first. Most importantly though, she reflected on a great quote by Judith Collins, “As women we’re raised to have rescue fantasies, but I’m here to tell you: no one is coming.”  Melody shared this quote in a women’s only reception before the Indivisible meeting, so the mayor made the men say, “We’re coming” at the beginning of the meeting without understanding the context!  Though we all got a kick out of the “response” without the “call”, she later expanded this comment not just to the women, but to the entire black community.  “We need to behave as if no one is coming because they’re not.  It is up to us to be able to leave an inheritance for our grandchildren.”  To that end she gave five reasons that the black community is underappreciating financial opportunities: 1) lack of knowledge, 2) misinformation, 3) lack of trust, 4) lack of exposure, and 5) financial conservatism.  The latter term she defined as the shortsightedness of taking extremely conservative risks which result in the black community unwittingly sacrificing wealth. 

Polling audience members in the packed house at The Guild, people left feeling inspired and empowered.  It was a great launch event for a stronger focus on economics in 2013.  After the meeting, David DeLuz, President of the Greater Sacramento Urban League, said he was impressed with Melody and the direction that Indivisible is taking as the mayor continues to unfold the plan of action for 2013. The Indivisible vision is in alignment with the work the Urban League is already doing to help providing housing and financial education.   “I just want to encourage people to attend the meetings. I think it's important, and it gives us an opportunity not only to set the agenda, but also act upon it. Indivisible lets us focus on a few basic things, and get them done. It gives us a place to learn, act, and evaluate our impact.”  

The next Indivisible meeting takes place Monday, January 28 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the Guild Theatre, 2828 35th Street, Sacramento.

-Flojaune Griffin