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With overall unemployment now at 9.8 percent and the African American unemployment rate tipping the scales at a whopping 15.4 percent, it would be a tempting but fatal mistake for corporate America to take its eye off the ball when it comes to increasing diversity within its leadership ranks. In fact, I suggest that business take a lesson from the way the NFL has used the "Rooney Rule" in recent years to improve its historically abysmal record of hiring African American head coaches. The Rooney rule, in place since 2003 and named for Pittsburgh Steelers owner and NFL diversity workforce...

The National Urban League has just issued its annual State of Black America report. It provides a troubling statistical snapshot of where blacks stand today in our country. Like Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, I'm concerned. But after concern, we part company. We have very different ideas of what it is we should be concerned about. Morial, I am sure, sees his organization as part of the solution. From what I see, it is a well-funded symptom of the problem. Shouldn't it embarrass black Americans that one the nation's largest and most prestigious civil rights organizations offers...

On Wednesday, the National Urban League (NUL) released the State of Black America 2009 report that shows that while the entire country is hurting during tough economic times, African Americans are disproportionately hurting worse. The annual report is a barometer of conditions for African-Americans in the United States. It includes the NUL's Equality Index, a statistical measurement of the disparities between Blacks and Whites across five categories: economics, education, health, civic engagement and social justice. Small step back This year's report shows an overall slight decline in the status of Blacks as compared to Whites, moving from 71.5 percent in...

US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) pauses while preparing to answer a question during the 2008 National Urban League annual conference in Orlando, Florida August 2, 2008. REUTERS/Scott Audette (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

Here is a report on Sen. John McCain's appearance before the National Urban League, a predominantly African-American crowd heavily in favor of Barack Obama. . .(see video)

I do want John McCain to win in November. Consider the alternative. I've personally been told to tread easy and not make the McCain Campaign mad, but there's certain things that need be said, and I'm proud of my tendency of saying things that need be said by those who don't want to make waves. John McCain's overtures to black groups like the NAACP, and now the Urban League may make for well-needed press, but at the same time, why do Republicans continue to ignore the one group of black folk they KNOW will vote for them: black Republicans?

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Facing a tough crowd, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain opened with an attack on his opponent Friday before a polite but unenthusiastic audience at the National Urban League's convention. "(Sen. Barack Obama's) ideas are not always as impressive as his rhetoric," said McCain in the opening sentences of his 11 a.m. speech. The presumed Republican presidential candidate spoke to a crowd of about 1,500 in the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort and Convention Center. McCain also slammed Obama's failure to support school vouchers and school choice for parents, Local 6 News partner Florida Today reported. "Where...

ST. LOUIS -- More than any other debate thus far, the National Urban League's presidential forum illustrated how sharply the Democratic primary is dividing the African-American community's political allegiances. Although the National Urban League doesn't endorse political candidates, the presidential forum gave the front-runners -- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and his closest rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) -- their best chance yet to compete head-up for the urban black vote. There were a lot of signs that many of the Urban Leaguers -- who tend to be solidly middle-class entrepreneurs and professionals -- haven't made up their minds about whom...

The Talk Shows Sunday, July 29th, 2007 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; former Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Dan Balz and Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post; Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd of NBC News; Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times and John Harwood of CNBC. FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa. THIS WEEK (ABC): Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; Bob Dole and Donna Shalala, co-chairs of...

ST. LOUIS - The leading Democratic presidential contenders on Friday endorsed a National Urban League agenda that calls for mandatory early childhood education and universal health care for children. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards each promised support for the Urban League's plan, which favors extending childhood education programs to children as young as age 3 and guaranteeing access for all to attend college. Sens. Clinton and Obama have engaged in a weeklong feud precipitated by Monday's debate exchange over whether a president should meet with leaders of rogue nations without preconditions. The two did not share the...

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Civil rights leader Al Sharpton said Thursday black voters should punish Republicans who fail to show for presidential candidates' forums hosted by the National Urban League and the NAACP. ``We can only assume you weren't courting us,'' Sharpton said. ``Republicans have to lay out their policies and court the African-American vote. We need to have our interests debated in the market place.'' Sharpton noted there won't be another NAACP or Urban League conference before the presidential primaries. ``When I was in high school, I may not have gone to the prom with the girl I wanted,...

The President spent the weekend in Washington attending Church on Sunday with the First Lady. Today the President delivered remarks on 'The Global War On Terror' at the John Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. The First lady participated in Urban League events and a lunch with Gulf Coast Educators in New Orleans. Tomorrow Vice President Dick Cheney will throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Washington Nationals at RFK Stadium at tomorrow afternoon's game against the New York Mets. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Former Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton blasted blacks Thursday for what he described as their blind support of the Democratic Party without demanding anything in return. Sharpton, during his remarks at the National Urban League's annual conference in Washington, noted that his fellow Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, have taken African-American voters for granted and failed to act in the best interests of the black community. "The whole network of incarceration (of African-American men) happened under this president and the last president. So it wasn't just George Bush. Bill Clinton -- I wish Hillary had hung around -- Bill...

Sharpton, during his remarks at the National Urban League's annual conference in Washington, noted that his fellow Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, have taken African-American voters for granted and failed to act in the best interests of the black community.

Washington, DC - Democratic Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today announcing the launch of his new website - A Word to the Faithful: ”As Democratic Leader, I’ve made outreach to the faith community a top priority and have had the great privilege of meeting with leaders of many faiths. I’ve talked with Protestant ministers about the immorality of a budget that cuts programs for the neediest among us while rewarding those with the most. I’ve discussed immigration and poverty with Catholic Bishops, and I’ve met with Jewish leaders to discuss ways we can help hardworking families across this...

IT'S THE apology, stupid. NAACP board Chairman Julian Bond took to the podium Sunday to address the organization's 96th convention in Milwaukee. Once again, Bond pretended to bemoan President George W. Bush's decision not to address the convention. ... Bond proceeded to bash Bush, saying "the president likes to talk the talk, but he doesn't walk the walk" on civil rights. That's because Bond's definition of "civil rights" flies in the face of the very language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law calls for things to be done without regard to race, color or creed. So do...

Next president has business savvy With Bruce S. Gordon's stellar background in corporate America, his installation as executive director of the NAACP at its 96th annual convention in Milwaukee could herald a new beginning for the venerable civil rights organization's relationship with the Bush administration. Or could it prove to be a risky, high-stakes gamble? Delegates will have the final vote on Gordon's appointment as executive director of the nation's oldest civil rights organization when it holds its convention July 9-14 at the Midwest Airlines Convention Center. The vote on his nomination is expected July 14. Gordon already has indicated...

St. Petersburg, Florida - In Tampa last month, promising student-athlete Kwane Doster is shot to death near Ybor City. In St. Peterbsurg last week, 14 people are arrested for brawling near the Baywalk entertainment complex. And if the police reports in these cases are accurate, they are both examples of black on black crime. Lendel Bright of the Urban League says every citizen of Florida is effected. Lendel Bright / Urban League: "Just look at the fact of the over-representation of people of color, especially African-Americans in the criminal justice system, and also the lack of representation in education, economics,...

In the face of furious pressure from across the county, talk radio host John Sylvester has begun to apologize for racial insults he used against members of the Bush administration last week. After he called Secretary of State nominee Condoleeza Rice "an Aunt Jemima" and outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell "an Uncle Tom," Sylvester's initial response was to apologize only to Aunt Jemima. But now, after news outlets repeated his comments nationally and members of African American groups slammed his comments as ignorant and hurtful, Sylvester has broken from his initial stance, and issued a letter to newspapers today...

President Bush unveiled a new initiative to support minority entrepreneurship at his address to the National Urban League. Sadly, it appears that this announcement got lost in the politics of the day by a media uninterested in any of the real substantial public policy differences in this race. Imagine that. The media ignored a major substantive initiative introduced by the Bush administration. What makes this particularly troublesome is that this is a program that tackles the problems of minority economic development with a self-sustaining approach, bringing together existing non-profits with the private sector. It creates a network to provide education,...

“We’ve got a president that’s prepared to take us back to the days of Jim Crow segregation and dominance,” says NAACP president Kweisi Mfume. Republicans’ “idea of equal rights is the American flag and Confederate swastika flying side by side,” says NAACP chairman Julian Bond. And the leaders of this supposedly nonpartisan organization are surprised President Bush declined to attend their convention last week? Instead, tomorrow the president will address the National Urban League, a black organization whose mainstream leadership is focused on ideas for improving life in inner cities rather than on politics and racial demagoguery. The president will...

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July 24, 2004 -- President Bush yesterday urged African-Americans to ask if the Democratic Party takes them for granted as he made a pitch for black support at the Urban League — while admitting that Republicans have "a lot of work to do." Bush quoted a black leader as saying, "Blacks are gagging on the donkey, but not yet ready to swallow the elephant" — to laughter and applause from the crowd at the Urban League's Detroit convention. "I'm here to ask for your vote. No, I know, I know, I know: The Republican Party has got a lot of...

Today President Bush spoke to the National Urban League Conference in Detroit Michigan. He detailed his administrations progress since becoming the President and asked for their vote. President Bush ask the group if the Democrats took the African American vote for granted and ask them to compare his record since becoming president to what the Democrats have done for them. The speech was well recieved and IMHO it was a homerun ENJOY YOUR VISIT TO SANITY ISLAND

C-Span will re-play the President's speech to the Urban League tonight at 9:20 PM EST -- a Kerry/Edwards campaign event is on now (gag)!

DETROIT (AP) -- President Bush tried on Friday to sow doubts about Democrats' commitment to black Americans and told black voters ``there is an alternative this year'' -- him. At the same time, Bush acknowledged, ``Listen, the Republican Party has got a lot of work to do. I understand that.'' Bush's speech to the Urban League, his third since becoming president, came as a new poll showed overwhelming support for John Kerry among black voters. The poll also showed black voters have yet to entirely warm up to the presumptive Democratic nominee. The president suggested perhaps the Democratic Party had...

National Urban League Conference Detroit, Michigan THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm introduction. It's really good to be here. You know, Marc, you're right, the National Urban League is a vital and important part of the American scene. And I think the reason why is, not only is the mission important, but the people involved in the Urban League are dignified, decent American citizens. And I am honored to be in your presence. I see some friends like Willard who is -- I don't know if you remember, Willard, but we were on the porch of the governor's mansion in...

10:35 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm introduction. It's really good to be here. You know, Marc, you're right, the National Urban League is a vital and important part of the American scene. And I think the reason why is, not only is the mission important, but the people involved in the Urban League are dignified, decent American citizens. And I am honored to be in your presence. I see some friends like Willard who is -- I don't know if you remember, Willard, but we were on the porch of the governor's mansion in Texas. I'm not...

The President is scheduled to speak any moment. Tune in and comment. Thanks!

In my morning Centre Daily Times, Douglas's headline read: Bush receives tepid response from Urban League. Now I watched that speech on CSPAN and given the fact the audience was perhaps 80% Democrat, the reception could hardly be called tepid. I looked on the CDT website for the article, but alas it was not there. In its place they had a totally different article and headline, much more objective. A couple of examples of Douglas's spin/lie effort (and I'm paraphrasing): 1. "many of the audience sat with their legs crossed and arms folded" (no, I did not make that up)....

DETROIT — President Bush on Friday made a direct pitch for black votes — long out of reach for Republican presidential candidates — but got a tepid response from the national Urban League conference. "I'm here to ask for your vote," he told the delegates, drawing applause. The applause grew louder and was mixed with laughter when Bush, well aware of political history, added, "I know, I know, I know." "Listen, the Republican Party has got a lot of work to do. I understand," he said before looking at the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was seated near the front of...

Bush Urges Blacks to Consider What Dems Have Done for Them Lately By Susan Jones CNSNews.com Morning Editor July 23, 2004 (CNSNews.com) - President Bush came right out and asked African-Americans for their vote on Friday. In his address to the National Urban League, Bush said he understands that the "Republican Party's got a lot of work to do." And he urged Democratic voters to consider some questions. "Does the Democratic Party take African-American voters for granted?" It's a fair question, Bush said. Do Democrats earn your vote and deserve it, he asked?

Gotta watch Bush at the Urban League Meeting going on now. See Fox News Channel/CNN He's knocking them dead and getting not only rounds of applause but shouts of approval from the audience. FANTASTIC!

The message—both in words and action—is clear, consistent, and stirring. “We’ve got a president that’s prepared to take us back to the days of Jim Crow segregation and dominance,” says NAACP president Kweisi Mfume. Republicans’ “idea of equal rights is the American flag and Confederate swastika flying side by side,” says NAACP chairman Julian Bond. And the leaders of this supposedly nonpartisan organization are surprised President Bush declined to attend their convention last week? Instead, tomorrow the president will address the National Urban League, a black organization whose mainstream leadership is focused on ideas for improving life in inner cities...

p>To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor Contact: Allison Dobson of the Kerry-Edwards Campaign, 202-464-2800; Web: http://www.johnkerry.com News Advisory: Thursday: Kerry to Address 2004 National Urban League Conference DETAILS: On Thursday, July 22, Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry will address the 2004 National Urban League Conference in Detroit, MI. At the conference, Kerry will talk about the Kerry- Edwards plan to strengthen communities across the country. Kerry will arrive in Detroit on Wednesday night. Kerry's Michigan schedule is below. --- WHEN: Wednesday, July 21 10:15 p.m. EDT WHAT: Kerry Arrives Detroit, Mich. WHERE: Signature Aviation 348 Lucas Drive Detroit, Mich. OPEN PRESS...

DETROIT (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry plans to travel to Michigan to address the Urban League next week.Kerry's recent visits to the state included last month's $1 million fund-raiser, where the U.S. senator from Massachusetts attacked Bush's economic performance and touted his own job-creation proposals.Word of Kerry's planned July 22 stop came amid a flurry of presidential campaign activity in Michigan.President Bush was in Michigan on Tuesday, telling an Upper Peninsula crowd his economic policies are bringing prosperity and jobs to the state. And Vice President Dick Cheney and U.S. Sen. John McCain plan to hold a campaign...

The National Urban League released a disturbing report this week: The State of Black America 2004. It looks at disparities between whites and blacks. Blacks are lagging far behind their white counterparts, the report says. That's true from homeownership - about 48% of blacks own their own home versus more than 70% of whites - to education to health: Blacks are twice as likely as whites to die from disease, accident or homicide "at every stage of life." For black men, the numbers are even worse. Young black males are the highest-risk group for HIV. There are more black men...

African Americans' Status Is 73 Pct. of Whites' Status Says 'State of Black America' Report; Natl Urban League Shows Black Progress on Shaky Ground 3/24/2004 9:31:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk, Minority Affairs, Urban Affairs, Economics, Health, and Education Reporters Contact: Max Smith of the National Urban League, 212-558-5371 or msmith@nul.org, or Rich Masters, 202-448-3144 or rmasters@qorvis.com WASHINGTON, March 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- How much closer is America to achieving equality between blacks and whites since the civil rights movement? Not close enough, and black progress is precarious at best according to a report released today by the National...

African Americans, College Graduates Hit Hardest By Recession; New National Urban League Study Says Jobless Recovery Impossible 1/29/04 9:01:00 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National and Business desks Contact: Michele Moore, 212-558-5328, e-mail: mmoore@nul.org, or Max Smith, 212-558-5371, e-mail: msmith@nul.org, both of the National Urban League NEW YORK, Jan. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Today, National Urban League President and CEO, Marc H. Morial, released a new report showing that despite the improving economy, African-Americans and other low-income Americans are still being hurt more than whites by the jobless recovery. "The National Urban League's Jobs Report," by the League's Institute of Opportunity...

Editor's note: Each week, WorldNetDaily White House correspondent Les Kinsolving asks the tough questions no one else will ask. And each week, WorldNetDaily brings you the transcripts of those dialogues with the president and his spokesman. If you'd like to suggest a question for the White House, submit it to WorldNetDaily's exclusive interactive forum MR. PRESIDENT! By Les Kinsolving © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com At today's White House news briefing, WND asked presidential press secretary Scott McClellan about President Bush's reticence to meet with representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or the NAACP. Reporter April Ryan of the Urban...

Bush-Jackson meeting angers GOP blacks Private consultation 'amounts to aiding and abetting a hustler' Posted: August 3, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern Editor's note: WorldNetDaily is pleased to have a content-sharing agreement with Insight magazine, the bold Washington publication not afraid to ruffle establishment feathers. Subscribe to Insight at WorldNetDaily's online store and save 71 percent off the cover price. By Kenneth R. Timmerman © 2003 News World Communications Inc. Black Republicans are roiling with anger and incomprehension after a meeting between George W. Bush and Rev. Jesse Jackson that followed the president's address to the National Urban League in Pittsburgh....

President Bush with Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League. (by mtngrl@vrwc)

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary July 28, 2003 President Addresses Urban League Remarks by the President to the 2003 Urban League Conference David Lawrence Convention Center Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 11:17 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. Thanks for your kind invitation. But, most importantly, thanks for your service to your fellow Americans. (Applause.) The Urban League has always stood strong for justice and hope and healing. It stood for opportunity for all our citizens. I'm honored to be at such an organization. I appreciate the chance, as well, to come to Pittsburgh. It's a...

Jul 28, 8:26 AM EDT Urban League Warns Against Covert Racism By CHARLES SHEEHAN Associated Press Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The new president of the National Urban League said Sunday that the number of blacks with bachelor's degrees is at an all-time high, but warned that success in the classroom is marred by rising incarceration rates and covert racism. Census figures show that in 2002, 17 percent of blacks ages 25 and older had a bachelor's degree, a record high. But Marc Morial said that achievement is overshadowed by the number of blacks in jail. There are 875,000 blacks incarcerated...

<p>First, allow us to welcome you back to Pittsburgh. As always, we're glad to have you, and we are pleased that you have agreed to address the convention of the National Urban League this week.</p> <p>Given that the league's mission is all about "empowering" blacks "to enter the economic and social mainstream," and given your stated commitment to equal opportunity to help ensure that this worthy mission has every chance of success, your presence is a good fit.</p>

<p>The president "should have spoken to the NAACP — it is the nation's oldest civil rights group — but I am glad he is doing this," Mr. Cummings said. "I don't know what his rationale is with regard to speaking with the Urban League ... but by not speaking to the NAACP, it seems inconsistent." The White House declined to comment. Urban League President Marc Morial also refused to comment yesterday.</p>