Photo Credit: Carroll Studios of Photography
In celebration of February’s Black History Month, Milwaukee Urban League’s president, Eve Hall, was selected by U.S. Bank as recipient of the Seeds of Possibility honor. U.S. Bank is one of the League’s partners in the areas of financial literacy and workforce. Off the Cuff spoke with Hall spoke about the partnership.
What is the Milwaukee Urban League’s empowerment focus?
The Milwaukee Urban League locally focuses on the three E’s: Education, Employment and Economic Vibrancy. We are celebrating 100 years of service in this community. We were founded in 1919 to be a connector and resource center at the turn of the century when the Great Migration occurred and five-to-eight million African Americans began to move from the South. As the Urban League, we were at the forefront, basically connecting families and individuals to employment, housing, access to health, education… We were advocates and champions for the community by working with the city fathers, companies and corporations to hire and support African Americans coming into the cities across the country.
How is the Milwaukee Urban League an agent for change?
On a regular basis, we work with individuals looking for work—from GED to Ph.D., to individuals who have been downsized or whose program has ended, to professionals looking to transition into another career, to those who have had interactions with the law, child support or consistencies in unemployment. We’ve had success stories of helping people get back on their feet, become more stable in work and finances, to helping professionals connect to other opportunities.
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As an Urban League, we have our overarching mission of the three E’s but also have two auxiliaries: our Young Professionals and our Guild. Our Young Professionals are under 40 years old and our Guild is over 40 years old. These are primarily African American professionals who are volunteers who provide support to the mission of our organization by volunteering to some of our programs doing outreach in the community. They are basically representing what the Urban League means. We are trying to better utilize the human assets that are in this city.
Our board is primarily a corporate board, so we have companies such as U.S. Bank and other major corporations who really believe in what we are doing and believe in being a part of making a difference in this community though the work of the Urban League. U.S. Bank has been very vocal and public about their commitment to women, people of color and entrepreneurs in seeing how they can move the needle in partnership with organizations like ours.
And the education component comes into play with Milwaukee Urban League’s partnerships with North Division High School and Oliver Wendell Holmes School?
At Oliver Wendell Holmes, we’ve been able to support the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs through additional materials and helping them to participate in STEM-related competitions. Our partnership with North Division, which is through the United Way and MPS (Milwaukee Public Schools), will coordinate resources and community partners to help North Division to go to another level in terms of outcomes and opportunities for students.
How does economic vibrancy fit into the Urban League’s mission statement?
We offer financial literacy assistance. As individuals are getting back on their feet, we provide support in helping them set up checking accounts or help them plan if they want to purchase a home at some point or get out of debt. That is another way we help people who come through our door to help them become financially stable.
