Recently named President and CEO of the National Urban League, former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial Plans to Heavily Involve Black Youth in the Organization’s Programs

By every yardstick you'd care to use, Marc Morial -- the new head of the National Urban League -- has been a success.  Son of New Orleans' first Black mayor, the late Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial, the younger Morial earned national recognition during his two terms by dramatically cutting the violent crime rate in a city once known as the nation's "murder capital" and brought scores of new African-American businesses into that city's economic mainstream.

By the time he left office, Morial had also made his mark as a national figure prominent in the presidential campaign of Al Gore.  In fact, had the majority of votes cast in Gore's favor counted more than a 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court he might have enjoyed a high cabinet-level position in Washington, D.C., commensurate with his stature as one of the brightest rising stars in the national Democratic Party.  Instead, following a career as a successful Louisiana legislator, private-practice attorney and enormously popular Mayor of a major Southern city (he left office with a 70% approval rating, almost unheard of for a two-term Mayor), and past president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Morial found himself first choice among some 400 candidates recruited nationwide for the prestigious post as President and CEO of the National Urban League, NUL, the nation's oldest community-based civil rights organization.

Succeeding Hugh Price, who resigned in November of 2002, Morial wasted no time galvanizing members of the NUL.  In his first keynote address to the membership, Morial elicited audible gasps from the audience when he used "Jim Crow, Esq." to describe the current, more subtle brands of modern racism which continue to keep African Americans largely shut out of the economic main­stream.

According to Michael J. Critelli, Chairman and CEO of Pitney Bowes, Inc., and Chairman of the National Urban League Board of Trustees, "Marc Morial's en­tire professional career has been focused on championing urban issues … the socio-economic issues that significantly impact the League's constituencies.  We felt strongly that we needed a dynamic leader who understands and is committed to the League's mission of equality and opportunity and is experienced at mobi­lizing diverse groups to achieve results.  He has an indisputable track record of accomplishment in the areas of civil rights, programs for youth, revitalizing urban neighborhoods and building urban economies."  The National Urban League has 105 affiliates across the country. 

BC: What is your overall vision for the National Urban League?  What pro­grams do you intend to institute, and which programs do you intend to retain and/or modify?

Morial: Well, our vision is to make the Urban League the premier organ­ization in America focusing on empowerment for African Americans and other people of disadvantage – and to do it through good, solid programs, advocacy, and research. And to do it in such a way that makes good use of this great or­gan­i­zation's history as a multi-racial, non-partisan sort of entity. The National Urban League has always been a civil rights organization with a business focus and a talent for effective economic empower­ment for minorities. "Know Your Money" is among several of the business-oriented programs that the National Urban League promotes. A joint venture between the NUL and Philip Morris Companies Inc., Know Your Money is billed as a "multi-market program designed to strengthen the economic foundation of African-American communities and bring about a systemic change in attitudes about money and money-management.

The program includes a three-class course taught by business and academic experts over a
12-week period. It provides African-American professionals between the ages of 21 and 35 with comprehensive tools for personal money management. The program will be offered in five major U.S. cities: Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and Washington, D.C. beginning this September.

Other programs include the "Workforce Demonstration Project" which provides general technical assistance and training services to Urban League affiliates, with a focus on workforce development policies and activities. The NUL has also worked with Freddie Mac since 2001 to enhance credit-worthiness of people who have traditionally been excluded and/or discriminated against in the credit markets. This program includes a curriculum called "Credit Smart" which covers the fundamentals of credit, managing money, establishing and maintaining good credit and financial planning, among other topics.

BC: With a business focus, too, right?

MORIAL: With a focus on a relationship with the corporate sector.

BC: How do you intend to involve young African Americans in your administration? What initiatives do you expect to pursue that will result in more active involvement by Black college students?

MORIAL: We have a focus on a component of the National Urban League called the National Urban League's Young Professionals Network. That part of the Urban League movement is for people between the ages of 20 and 40, and one of my priorities is to grow it, to build it, to develop it, to push it and to expand it so that it becomes a place where recent college graduates may immediately become part of the National Urban League movement. We have a number of chapters in different cities across the country.

BC: What is your take on the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding Affirmative Action?

MORIAL: I thought it was an important victory, albeit a narrow victory by 5-4. The important thing is that the Supreme Court put itself on the side of diversity as an important thing for this nation. It was pivotal because so many of us were concerned that the Supreme Court might have gone the other way, and it was certainly a noteworthy decision in that many corporate CEOs and others supported by the way of amici briefs the side that won, the side we were on. The Urban League was involved in an amicus brief with the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, in strong support. I think the University of Michigan is to be commended because they decided that they were going to spend the money and fight the fight and weren't going to reverse themselves, or fold tent, or drop back into punt formation. You know that in the face of the great threat to Affirmative Action, it would have been very easy to just quit when threatened with a lawsuit. After all, some of the forces that are anti-Affirmative Action sent out letters to virtually every major college and university in the country and said, "We're going to sue you."

BC: How does diversity, its concept and its practical application, ultimately benefit business?

Morial: Well, I think it's simple. I think that business now finds itself with a diverse customer base, and I think that it's clear that having a diverse customer base, it's not just color differences. There are cultural issues. There are differences of history and background, and I think that having a workforce that includes workers and management and that more closely reflects the customer base is a very important part of having a good, strong bottom line.

The other thing is that because they are corporations in a free enterprise system, we have a right to hold them up as leaders on issues of social and moral good. I think for corporate America to lead on this issue is an important part of their fundamental responsibility. In the nation, I applaud those who have embraced diversity. Many companies, many CEOs, have embraced diversity, not just in word, but also in action.

BC: Please comment on your statement that the problem with present-day racism can be characterized by "Jim Crow, Esq."

Morial: Well, you know I take no pride of authorship in using the term, but "James Crow, Esq." is a way to say that Jim Crow is legal segregation and that James Crow, Esq. represents a much more sophisticated form of disadvantage that many African Americans still suffer in terms of a gap, in what I call the equality gap, in areas like home ownership, education, income, wealth, health. It suggests that there are still differences in the status of people, of Blacks and whites in this country, differences that are an after-result of having legalized segregation for 100 years and, before that, legalized slavery for 300 years. So it's a way of saying that James Crow, Esq. now wears a suit, that now he's a much more articulate fellow.

BC: Do you think there is some sort of inherent greediness at the top where people don't think there's enough to go around?

Morial: I think structural issues give us this analogy. If someone starts a race 25 yards ahead of me and we both run at the same speed, I'll move ahead, but I'll never catch up. That's the game of life. And you can't divorce the fact that that's part of the reality of American life -- which is why these problems are so vexing.

BC: Do you think that issues of race and class distinctions in America deserve to be linked in some way?

Morial: Yes. You can't divorce the two because in some cases, in many cases, African Americans are where they are in the economic strata because of their race. The two can be tied together in many, many cases. I think it's not the best thing to paint with a broad stroke on all problems, but you have to acknowledge the role that race plays, and you have to acknowledge the role that class plays. Otherwise you are going to be ineffective in addressing and trying to improve society.

BC: Could we also use class in terms of poor whites in Appalachia?

Morial: Right.

BC: Or people of Native American ancestry?

Morial: Exactly. Or Hispanics. Or Asians, or recent immigrants who face disadvantage because of their economic class. I think that we at the National Urban League, while we have a primary focus on African Americans, are concerned with all people of disadvantage in this nation.

BC: Are you more aggressively reaching out to other oppressed minorities?

Morial: It is critical that we reach out to other ethnic groups aggressively. We must do it -- it's the right thing to do and it's the smart thing to do.

BC: Finally, what advice would you give to African-American college students about to enter the job market? What strategies would you recommend they employ to give them a competitive edge in their search to best use their training and talents?

Morial: Begin looking for employment early. Don't get discouraged easily. Understand that sometimes the job you start in is not the job you want, and not the job you are likely to end up on. Start early. Be aggressive. Have a good resume. Take advantage of resources available on campus.

BC: Such as THE BLACK COLLEGIAN?

Morial: Such as THE BLACK COLLEGIAN precisely. Take advantage of resources available on campus.

Christian Allman is a New Orleans based freelance writer who frequently writes for THE BLACK COLLEGIAN.