III 111th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 609 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES August 5, 2010 Mr. Cardin submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Congratulating the National Urban League on its 100th year of service to the United States.

Whereas the National Urban League (referred to in this preamble as the League) is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to promoting economic empowerment to improve the standard of living in historically underdeveloped urban communities; Whereas, by promoting education, civic engagement, economic development, and civil justice, the League has been a consistent advocate for improving the quality of life for struggling communities; Whereas, on July 28, 2010, the League will open its Centennial Conference in Washington, DC; Whereas, on the centennial anniversary of the National Urban League, the country can look back with great pride on the extraordinary accomplishments of the League; Whereas, since its inception in 1910, the League has made tremendous gains in equality and empowerment in the African-American community throughout the United States; Whereas the National Urban League has remarkable predecessors, including the National League for the Protection of Colored Women (established in 1906), the Committee for Improving the Industrial Condition of Negroes in New York (established in 1906), and the Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negroes (established in 1910); Whereas the League began as a multiracial, diverse grassroots campaign by Mrs. Ruth Standish Baldwin and Dr. George Edmund Haynes; Whereas, between 1910 and 2010, the League expanded to 25 national programs, with more than 100 local affiliates in 36 States and the District of Columbia; Whereas, during the civil rights movement, the League worked closely with A. Phillip Randolph, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many other exceptional leaders; Whereas, throughout the 1970s, the partnership between the League and the Federal Government experienced tremendous growth, with the 2 entities delivering aid to urban areas and making improvements in housing, education, health, and minority-owned small businesses; Whereas the partnership between the League and the Federal Government revolutionized how the United States viewed race relations, challenging the deep discrimination within the social structure of the United States and cementing the League as a premier social justice organization; Whereas the League employs a 5-point approach to increase the quality of life of people in the United States, particularly African-Americans; Whereas the League carries out the 5-point approach through programs such as Education and Youth Empowerment, Economic Empowerment, Health and Quality of Life Empowerment, Civic Engagement and Leadership Empowerment, and Civil Rights and Racial Justice Empowerment; Whereas, through the Housing and Community Development division of the League, programs such as Foreclosure Prevention, Homeownership Preparation, and Financial Literacy aided more than 50,000 people in 2009; Whereas, with assistance provided by the Foreclosure Prevention program of the League, 3,000 people were able to avoid filing foreclosure in 2009; Whereas, through the Education and Youth Development division of the League, programs such as Project Ready prepare students to transition from high school to college or to the workforce; Whereas the League publishes the State of Black America, an annual report analyzing social and economic conditions affecting African-Americans; Whereas the State of Black America report includes the Equality Index, a statistical measure of the disparities between Black and White people across 5 categories: economics, education, health, civic engagement, and social justice; Whereas the programs of the League not only emphasize the importance of leadership and community in local areas, but also enhance the quality of life by studying and addressing specific problems within the communities; Whereas, throughout 100 years of service, the League has assisted millions of people in the United States, especially African-Americans, in combating poverty, inequality, and social injustice; Whereas the League has outlined 4 aspirational goals as part of the I AM EMPOWERED campaign, which marks the centennial anniversary of the League; Whereas the I AM EMPOWERED campaign will galvanize millions of people to take a pledge to help achieve the 4 aspirational goals of education, jobs, housing, and health care by 2025, namely, by ensuring that— (1)every child in the United States is ready for college, work, and life; (2)every person in the United States has access to jobs with a living wage and good benefits; (3)every person in the United States lives in safe, decent, affordable, and energy-efficient housing on fair terms; and (4)every person in the United States has access to quality and affordable health care solutions; Whereas the work of the League has been pivotal in improving the lives of millions of African-Americans through community-oriented programs, civil rights, and leadership opportunities, at times when these changes have been needed most; and Whereas the National Urban League remains an essential organization: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)welcomes the National Urban League to the capital of the United States to commemorate the National Urban League's 100th year of service to the Nation; (2)expresses deep gratitude for the hardworking and dedicated men and women of the National Urban League who, during the last 100 years, have struggled to improve the society of the United States and the lives of all people in the United States; and (3)commends the ongoing and tireless efforts of the National Urban League to address areas of inequality and fight for the right of all people of the United States to live with freedom, dignity, and prosperity.