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May 3, 2017
National Urban League: Black America ‘Strong and Resilient’ but Vigilance Required (NBC News)

The head of one of America's foremost Civil Rights organizations says "Black America is strong and resilient," but the community must remain vigilant to survive and thrive amid the country's shifting political landscape.

"It's important that people understand we have to fight to protect the progress that's been made," said Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League (NUL). "And at the same time, resist any rollbacks."

Morial spoke to NBC News this morning, hours before the group formally released its annual status report, `The State of Black America.' The National Urban League will officially kick-off its 14th Annual Legislative Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., May 2- 4. There will also be a Town Hall meeting Tuesday with special guests such as Michael Eric Dyson, Angela Rye, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

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May 3, 2017
National Urban League's 'State of Black America' shows educational, economic improvements (USA Today)

Fewer black Americans are dropping out of high school and more are earning associate’s degrees, but racial disparities still plague the U.S. education system, according to the National Urban League’s "State of Black America 2017" report.

The organization's annual study bases its conclusions on an equality index in which the quality of life for white Americans in various areas — such as income and social justice — is valued at an even 100%. The quality of life for African Americans, and now Hispanic Americans, is measured against that.

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May 3, 2017
New Report: Black America Steady, Hispanic America Improving (New York Times)

WASHINGTON — A new report says Black America held steady and Hispanic America improved slightly during former President Barack Obama's final year. But the National Urban League says progress may be in danger under President Donald Trump. Its State of Black America report uses an equality index, with 100 percent being full equality with whites. The equality index for blacks was 72.3 percent in 2016, a small increase from 2015's 72.2 percent. The equality index for Hispanics was 78.4 percent, which is an increase from 77.9 percent in 2015.

National Urban League CEO Marc Morial says he is concerned Trump could reverse some of the gains from the Obama era.

He says the first full report card of blacks and Hispanic America under Trump won't come out until next year.

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May 19, 2016
Here’s What You Should Know About The State Of Black America (Huffington Post)

Black America is falling way behind, and a new report released Tuesday shows just how unequal the country is when it is divided along racial lines. 

The 2016 “State of Black America” report is an annual study issued by the National Urban League that takes a detailed look at the quality of black life in America compared to whites. This year’s report, which marks 40 years since the study was founded, not only examines the current state of black America across areas like economics, health, education, social justice and civic engagement, but it also explores the successes and setbacks black people have faced in these segments over the last four decades from 1976 to 2016.  

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May 19, 2016
The battle for equity continues (The Final Call)

The condition of Blacks in America has not changed much in 40 years points out the 2016 State of Black America (SOBA) report released by the National Urban League (NUL).

The similarities are disheartening, said Marc Morial, president of the non-profit organization that advocates Black economic advancement, parity, political power and civil rights.

“We’re trying to highlight this 40 year lens … We’re also trying to highlight the fact that these disparities that exist are still significant and required the nation’s attention,” Mr. Morial told reporters during a May 12 teleconference.

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May 19, 2016
Marc Morial on the State of Black America: 'All gears have been thrown into reverse' (Times-Picayune)

For 40 years the National Urban League has documented the great divide between the social and economic prosperity of white and black Americans. And for 40 years the story has remained much the same, said Marc Morial, the league's president and CEO.

Black people continue to trail white residents in every category the league tracks, presenting "a persistent racial disparity in American life," that might as well equate to a reversal of fortune for strides toward equality made after the Civil Rights era of the 1960s, he said.

"The similarities of the United States of 1976 and the United States of 2016 are profoundly striking," Morial said. "We are now, as we were then, a nation struggling to overcome the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression. All gears have been thrown into reverse."

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May 19, 2016
Despite Progress, Blacks Are Far From Equal With Whites (US News)

A new Urban League report comparing economic and social equality with whites shows African- Americans have made great strides over the last 40 years, with more black children enrolled in school, more young black adults going to college and enjoying a higher standard of living than in previous decades.

Unfortunately, that's the good news.

The bad news: In 2016, the last year of the nation's first black presidency, the nation is still unequal, and African-Americans are far behind whites in every category, according to the report -- including broad disparities in unemployment and poverty rates, which have barely budged since the 1970s.

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May 19, 2016
Report: Black America doing much better than 40 years ago (AP)

African-Americans are better off today than they were 40 years ago, but still lag behind in education, health, social justice, and civic engagement.

The State of Black America report is out, and it appears that African-Americans are doing about the same as they have in previous years as the nation rises out of the Great Recession.

The annual study, for which the National Urban League conducts a detailed examination on how African-Americans and Hispanics are doing compared with their white counterparts, was first issued in 1976. The National Urban League has been tracking the progress made ever since.

Overall, things have stabilized for African-Americans since the report was first issued 40 years ago. However, the black community still lags behind in education, health, social justice, and civic engagement, showing just how incremental progress has been for African-Americans.

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May 19, 2016
Economic, Social Disparities Persist in US, Rights Group Contends (Voice of America)

A major U.S. civil rights organization says social and economic disparities persist in America, even though the economy has stabilized since the Great Depression nearly a decade ago.

In its 2016 State of Black America Report, the National Urban League provided a retrospective of racial equality in the United States since it started publishing the reports in 1976.

The similarities in 2016 compared with those of 1976 "are disheartening," Urban League President Mark Morial said as he unveiled the report Tuesday in Washington.

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May 19, 2016
Urban League calls for $1 trillion ‘Marshall Plan’ to address disparities between the races (PBS NewsHour)

HARI SREENIVASAN: But, first, the National Urban League has released the 40th edition of its annual State of Black America Report. It’s designed to provide a snapshot of where African-Americans are relative to whites.

According to the most recent report’s calculations, across multiple facets of life, African-Americans experience equality at a rate of 72 percent, compared to white Americans, who score 100 percent.

Here to explain is Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League.

So, let’s start with that 72 percent number. How do you get there? What does that mean?

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