85 Years of Impact and Counting...

Timeline

June 1936
Albert Dent of New Orleans was urged by Rev. Norman Holmes and Rev. W.T. Handy to engage the National Urban League to explore creation of a chapter in New Orleans.
April 1938
First $1,000 raised to help start New Orleans Chapter of National Urban League. Nine Negro insurance companies contributed the largest sums including: The Louisiana Industrial Life Insurance Company, led by Dr. Rivers Frederick ($300); Unity Life Insurance, led by C.C. Dejoie ($250); and People’s Life Insurance with James Lewis ($200). Members of the white campaign committee contributed from ten to one hundred dollars.
1938
The New Orleans Urban League begins operation.
October 5, 1938
First organizational meeting of New Orleans Urban League was held at the Y.W.C.A. Archbishop Rummel was unanimously chosen as Honorary Chairman, while Marshall Ballard, Jr. was named Chairman of the Board of Directors.
November 6, 1938
The Louisiana Weekly Front Page story announced the opening of New Orleans Urban league at 1010 Dryades Street.
1938
Clarence Laws, selected as first Executive Secretary of New Orleans Urban League. He served as leader until he was deployed in 1943. He returned and did a second stint as the Executive Secretary from 1942-1946.
1938
Executive Secretary Laws issued the first edition of The Inquirer, a ten-page newsletter which appeared bi-monthly for several years. The publication started with analysis from a “survey of agencies to determine what needs of Negroes should get immediate attention.”
1938
The Ladies Auxiliary of the League was formed.
1939
Urban League Housing Committee Meetings with the New Orleans Housing Authority lead to construction of the Magnolia Projects.
1939
First Annual Meeting of New Orleans Urban League was used to launch $6,000 campaign. This was also the year New Orleans Urban League applied for inclusion in the Community Chest.
March 25, 1939
The New Orleans Urban League holds its first conference on vocational guidance held at Xavier University. Other speakers were from Xavier University, Dillard University, Flint-Goodrich Hospital, and Southern University.
May 23, 1939
The Magnolia Housing Projects construction began. This was the first project in low-cost Federal housing, and was a direct result of a study by New Orleans Urban League. This study found that Negroes lived in sub-standard housing and led to conferences with the New Orleans Housing Authority.
July 1939
The New Orleans Urban League joined in one of their first protests opposing the closure of Negro-only beach at Seabrook to move to Lincoln Beach which was 15 miles outside of the city.
March 31, 1941
Executive Director Laws began column in Louisiana Weekly entitled “Headline Highlights.” His first subject was Negro education, pointing out in part that “expenditures for white schools were twelve times that of Negro schools in some parishes. In another issue Laws revealed that “ninety-four percent of New Orleans’ Negro families earned less than $1,000, and ninety-two percent did not earn enough to secure the bare necessities of life.”
1942
The New Orleans Urban League track record of effective work established the basis for inclusion in “Community Chest” which is now the Greater New Orleans Foundation.
November 1942
The Community Chest accepted the New Orleans Urban League’s application for inclusion.
1943
Executive Secretary Laws reported for Military Duty. Grady Farley selected as Acting Executive Secretary and served until 1946 when Laws returned from service.
1944
The New Orleans Urban League “Post-War Conference of Employment and Employment Opportunities for Negroes” takes place.
1947
Alvin Jones named Executive Secretary and served until 1948.
1947
The New Orleans Urban League focuses on social justice issues such as police community relations.
1947
Ferdinand Rousseve elected as the first Negro Chairman of the Board of New Orleans Urban League.
1948
J. Westbrook MacPherson named Executive Director and served until 1956.
1948
The survey “A Review of the Economic and Cultural Problems of New Orleans, Louisiana, as They Relate to Conditions in the Negro Population” is printed.
April 4, 1953
The New Orleans Urban League appealed to the Housing Authority for a residential area of 110 acres for private housing following a survey of 1,800 Negro families. This led to the formation of Ponchartrain Park Homes Corporation which planned a thousand-home development “available to Negroes.”
1955
Construction begins on the Pontchartrain Park development.
1956
J. Harvey Kerns named Executive Director and served until 1966.
May 27, 1957
The Executive Board of the Community Chest voted to oust New Orleans Urban League after fears from white members that the League’s continued involvement threatened its future fundraising.
1966
Clarence Barney becomes the new Executive Director. The New Orleans Urban League launches Business in Action program to establish affirmative action places for local businesses. The New Orleans Urban League led voter education initiatives laid the basis for the formation of BOLD and COUP political organizations, initiated the Heritage Square Project to bring about economic revitalization of Central City, and initiated development of the Black Tourist Center.
1966
The New Orleans Urban League's track record of effective work led to the re-inclusion in Community Chest, which is now the United Way.
1979
The New Orleans Urban League gives birth to the Street Academy to reclaim school dropouts.

The New Orleans Urban League co-founds the Scholarship Classic, now the Bayou Classic.

The New Orleans Urban League advocates for Children First Ballot Initiative, calling attention to the deteriorating condition of the NORD playgrounds.
1997
Edith G. Jones becomes the first woman to hold the position of President and CEO.
2001
The Achievers Basketball Classic is created and the first endowment is established.
2002
The Urban League of Greater New Orleans completes the Bienville Corridor Master Plan.
2006
The Urban League of Greater New Orleans launches the Katrina Help Center.
2007
Nolan Rollins named President & CEO and served until 2013.
2008
The Urban League of Greater New Orleans re-establishes the "State of Black New Orleans" and officially launches the Young Professionals Chapter (YP).
2009
The Urban League of Greater New Orleans launches key economic inclusion initiatives targeting minority contractors.
2012
The Urban League of Greater New Orleans hosted the National Urban League Conference and opened the Clarence L. Barney Head Start Center in the 9th Ward.
2013
Erika McConduit named President & CEO.
2014
The Urban League of Greater New Orleans purchases new headquarters facility at 4640 S. Carrollton Avenue.
2015
The Urban League of Greater New Orleans hosts RISE Katrina 10 Commemorative Conference.
2016
The Urban League of Greater New Orleans expands statewide to become Urban League of Louisiana.
2018
The Urban League of Louisiana celebrates its 80th anniversary with the theme "80 Years Strong & Proud".
2018
Judy Reese Morse named President & CEO.
2019
The Urban League of Louisiana's Empowerment & Policy Conference began. This conference included discussion on topics such as workforce and economic development, mental health, criminal justice, education, and building relationships and coalitions across race and identity.
2020
The Urban League of Louisiana initiates #ULLAPandemicPivot.

The Urban League of Louisiana launched the "MAKE 2020 COUNT" census campaign to help ensure that the Louisiana Black community didn't miss out on its fair share of political representation and resources.
2021
The Urban League of Louisiana launched the Listen & Learn Statewide Tour.
2022
The Urban League of Louisiana initiates SEE CHANGE COLLECTIVE for a variety of options on how you can help close the wealth gap for Blacks, Hispanics, and Latinos in the Greater New Orleans Region.
2023
The Urban League of Louisiana celebrates its 85th anniversary with the theme "BOUNDLESS".

The mission of Urban League of Louisiana is to assist African American and other underserved communities in securing economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights. We implement our mission through programs in the areas of education and youth development, workforce and economic development, public policy and social justice advocacy initiatives.

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