>> The annual National Urban
League Conference is underway
in our city at the Grb at the
George R Brown Convention
Center. This three-day event is
designed to advance
conversations about civil
rights.
>> Social justice in the future
of democracy. Joining me this
morning to talk more about the
conferences, Marc Morial,
president and CEO of the
National Urban League. Marc,
good morning. How are you
doing?
>> Hey, good morning. And good
morning. Houston.
>> Thanks for being here.
Thanks for being in our city.
So I understand this marks 20
years for you. Your 20th
anniversary with the National
Urban League. Amazing years as
CEO and gratified and saying
great support.
>> But added jobs for the
working in the work ahead is
significant in this country to
defend democracy, to continue
to demand and promote. I do first equitable inclusionary
first equitable inclusionary
America. And also we’ve got to
defeat poverty the challenge
where too many Americans, too
many black Americans, too many
Latinos, too many people of
all backgrounds at the show,
even though they’re working
to simply pay the mortgage and
make ends meet goals of the
challenges here.
Mark, what’s at the heart of
your inspiration that to do
this work?
You know, my inspiration is
have a question. Mark Mershon
to do that. Yeah. Yeah. It
comes to my parents who comes
from the
community while it’s where I
grew a community that as as as
a young boy, a certain gay
community, which is becoming a
much more open society and much
more open place like the nation
was and the inspiration was
I want to use, you know, call
it human talent here to work
towards change. A lawyer by
trade and former mayor of New
Orleans, Louisiana legislator,
a great political careers in
the last 20 years have been
the leader, one of the nation’s
iconic sort of the stations and
as such the inspiration is to
work for change and more per
transformation and work for an
America that works for
everyone.
This is day one of the What are
some of the events that you’ve
got to kicking off this this
conference in Houston?
>> So one of the things that we
will highlight, of course, this
morning will come a time to
talk a lot about 2 to get
what’s called the state and
really just one more highlight.
>> It’s Saturday family and
Community day at the George
Brown Convention Center which
is wide open to the public,
will be giving away some 10,000
backpacks. They’ll be illegal
and expungement clinic. A
college fair, a job fair
activities for children and
much, much more. The National
Urban League to its network
of 90 2 affiliates, including
the Houston area early serves
3 million people a year.
So in addition to civil rights,
an economic opportunity and
economic justice
advocacy. We provide services
to people in 92 communities
across the nation. To our to
our affiliate network. So what
people get a chance to see on
Saturday family and community
Day. The work of the Houston
area are many does, but not
only that, the work that we
do all across the nation.
So really like to encourage
people to come out bare their
special thanks to me. It’s
supposed to turn. As well as
Justin Robinson and his team
and president of the Houston
Area Urban League all of the
leaders here in Houston will be
honoring Sheila Jackson Lee
will be honoring out. Green
will be honoring Rodney Ellis
to be strong supporters of ours
for many, many years will be
recognizing some great women
today, including the longer
Adams the acclaimed gospel
singing with will power war.
So there’s so much that you
can engage an annual conference
dot org is where you go for
more information.
>> Okay. So so it was going to
ask you next. People can still
register. They can still get
involved. That’s because you’re
just starting out today.
>> No question. You can
register an annual conference
out of work and you can come
on Saturday really want to
stress Saturday. All the
families and people, Houston,
we are going to prepare our
kids, go back to We’re going to
energize people who are looking
for work. We can connect those
high school kids with college
opportunities and we’re going
to help people who need to
clean this lake a clean their records because they may have
records because they may have
had so just a simple issue so
that they can also and to the
work fate, workplace for some
confidence that this will not
prevent them from moving
hadsell. Lots in store and you
want to and you a dot or lots
on the agenda which we expect
to add because it’s so thanks
to Houston, all of the support
and we look forward to seeing
many of you there. Yeah, a lot
of great resources for
Houstonians
Marc Morial, president CEO of
the National Urban League.