2020 has been a year of challenges, and support from donors has helped the Chicago Urban League help so many others. Since March:
· We created the COVID-19 Community Help Center to address the needs of Black families and communities amid a pandemic that has taken too many lives and caused an even greater economic and social divide.
· Our Research & Policy Center published An Epidemic of Inequities: Structural Racism and COVID 19 in the Black Community with recommendations to address health disparities and the social determinants underlying the disease.
· Our Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation has partnered with the city, state and corporate entities to distribute more than $6.2 million in emergency grants to more than 1,000 small business owners affected by Covid-19.
· More than 2,200 people have attended virtual job fairs and hiring events hosted by our Workforce Development Center. Working with dozens of employers, we’ve placed hundreds of people in jobs. And we continue to provide job training through our renewable energy and urban tech programs.
· Our Housing & Financial Empowerment Center has counseled more than 200 people in need of rental assistance due to COVID-19.
· Our Youth Services Center has supported more than 900 youth through our summer STEAM camp, college scholarships, school and dorm supplies, and our new Black Youth Conversation series.
· Our IMPACT Leadership Development Program had one of its most competitive application periods and selected 38 bright and ambitious young leaders for its Class of 2021.
In November, we transformed our annual gala into a two-day virtual event that featured important conversations on dismantling structural racism during our first Golden Fellowship Exchange. We tapped local Black-owned businesses to cater our virtual 59th Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner, delivering nearly 500 meals across Chicagoland – including to essential workers and first responders. We produced a full broadcast experience celebrating our heroes, world-class entertainers with Chicago roots, and our invaluable partnerships.
We do all of this and more because we know, as you do, that Black Chicago Matters. And there is still much work to do. Donate today to help us continue to make a difference.
Thank you!