Welcome, Urban Leaguers, to our 104th National Urban League Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio!
I want to thank Mayor John Cranley and the people of this city for greeting us with open arms. Eleven years ago, we made a principled decision to pull our Annual Conference out of Cincinnati due to significant issues with police and community relations. But we made a decision to return this year largely because of the persuasive efforts of Donna Jones Baker, CEO of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, and immediate past mayor Mark Mallory.
They never stopped fighting to get us here.
So, Cincinnati – we said we were coming, and here we are!! And we are so proud to be in and celebrate the Queen City!
Now, aside from Mark and Donna - why have we come to Ohio?
Let’s see...it’s the home of America’s first professional baseball club – the Cincinnati Red Stockings...birthplace of the iconic, 135-year old Ivory Soap – and it still floats!...and home of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center – a reminder to us all of the struggle for freedom yesterday, today and tomorrow.
For those who may not know, Cincinnati served as a northern terminus of the Underground Railroad, where thousands of slaves escaped to freedom by crossing the Ohio River. So, it seems only fitting that we would be here tonight to continue our path to freedom by building bridges – over rivers of inequality and disparity and to jobs and justice.
Click here to read the full 2014 NUL Conference Keynote by Marc H. Morial.
Below: Watch the 2014 National Urban League Conference Keynote by NUL President and CEO, Marc H. Morial
