Commemorating the Akron Urban League’s centennial.

Commemorating the Akron Urban League’s centennial.

Whereas, for 100 years, the Akron Urban League has served the community of Akron and Summit County;

Whereas, in 1918, when Akron was tasked with meeting the social needs of its increasing Black population, Attorney Thomas E. Green, Rev. R.A. Jones, Rev. E.J. Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Williams Hardy, and Mrs. Elbertha Turner requested assistance from the local Young Men’s Christian Association as a part of this initiative;

Whereas, in April 1919, the Young Men’s Christian Association responded by hiring George W. Thompson to coordinate Black activities;

Whereas, in 1925, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company pledged $10,000 to be administered by the Better Akron Federation for work with Black community citizens;

Whereas the $10,000 would be governed by a Board of Trustees responsible for allocating the public funds;

Whereas a 5-member committee was also appointed to study and make recommendations on the social needs of Black people in the community;

Whereas this committee consisted of University of Akron President, Dr. Park Noble, Vice President of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, C.W. Seiberling, President of Babcox Publishing Company, E.S. Babcox, President of Depositors Savings and Trust Company, Charles Herberick, Attorney J.B. Huber, and Assistant Treasurer of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Homer C. Campbell;

Whereas, in March 1925, the Association for Colored Community Work was created during a meeting at Firestone’s home;

Whereas, in 1944, the Association’s name was changed to the Akron Community Service Center after Thompson hired University of Akron student Raymond R. Brown to help run the Association;

Whereas, in May 1950, the new Akron Community Service Center and Urban League was constructed at 250 East Market Street and included amenities that were lacking for the Black community such as a gymnasium, a swimming pool, meeting rooms, classrooms, a library, lounges, and a kitchen;

Whereas this community center became a safe haven for the Black community, offering recreational programs for children and adults when no other facilities in Akron would allow them through the doors;

Whereas, in the early 2000s, the Akron Urban League moved to Vernon Odom Boulevard in Akron and remains dedicated to creating new programs, expanding its reach, and investing in the economic success of the community;

Whereas the Akron Urban League has served thousands of people by providing programs and services that emphasize education, job training, economic development, antiviolence, health and wellness, and mentoring; and

Whereas the Akron Urban League remains one of 88 affiliates of the National Urban League and continues to be a driving force behind the employment of minority workers in the Akron and Summit community: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) honors and commemorates the 100 years of work to empower communities, strengthen families, and open doors of opportunity by the Akron Urban League;

(2) recognizes the generational impact that the Akron Urban League has had on the city of Akron and the residents of Summit County; and

(3) encourages the Akron Urban League to continue its mission to improve the quality of life of the citizens of Summit County, particularly African Americans, through economic self-reliance and social empowerment for another 100 years.