What Is The Role Of The National Urban League In The 1920s

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The National Urban League was founded more than a century ago on September 29, 2010, primarily by Dr. George Edmund Haynes and Ruth Standish Baldwin. They are the largest community-based organization in the country, but they originally started as a small group trying to give voice to those that were oppressed: African Americans. To understand the importance of the initial grassroots movement of the National Urban League, one must first place into context the dangerous climate of America in the early twentieth century. Segregation was still allowed in many states, and it was only with the advent of civil rights laws did African Americans begin to make inroads in America society. The main goal of the National Urban League in the 1920s was to provide employment for African Americans in the urban cities, as many of them lived in poverty and homelessness. …show more content…

The National Urban League played a big role in lobbying the government on behalf of African Americans, shielding against the prevalent racism of the time. By becoming full-time participants in the Civil Rights Movement and organizing meetings with Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders, the famous March on Washington gave them a newfound political footing. Their mission continues to this day, and they continue to focus on African American youth by “enabling African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights” (NUL.com). The National Urban League has grown since the Civil Rights era and is as strong as ever today, encompassing ninety-three partners in more than three hundred communities across the