Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA
- Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, says despite the strength of modern-day civil rights organizations and the fact that NUL is about to celebrate its 100th birthday, there are still not enough civil rights warriors to bring about the level of Black progress that is needed.
“People should never be confused that we are somehow competing with each other; that we are somehow rivals to one another or that somehow we are doing the exact same thing with one another in the duplication of services. I would say that there are not enough civil rights organizations. There are not enough soldiers in the battle,” says Morial in an interview with the NNPA News Service.
Morial is gearing up for the 100th birthday of the National Urban League, which was founded in 1910 at the beginning of legalized segregation. The NUL celebration, to be held July 28-31 in Washington, D.C., comes on the heels of the 100th birthday of the NAACP last year. The two are giants among several key civil rights organizations in 2010. But even with their solid forces, African-Americans are still struggling.
“I am constantly asked what is the distinction between the Urban League and other civil rights organizations,” Morial said. “We all share a mission. That mission is social justice and economic equality. That’s the mission and objective. But, we’re each unique in the way we work toward that objective. We all bring different things to the table.”
