A deadly wave of firestorms at two opposite spectrums of Los Angeles county is not how anyone projected the start of the new year.

A staff of civil rights leaders transformed itself into a disaster relief agency, at least temporarily. The offshoot was a long-term commitment to the communities of color that lost homes and businesses, ensuring the equitable delivery of recovery assistance—such that no neighborhoods should ever feel like they’re left behind based on zip code. The catastrophic Eaton Fire broke out in the hills above Altadena.

We watched generous donations from around the globe pour into our ‘Wildfires Relief Fund.’ Many of our 2025 PROGRAMS cohorts got underway and our website continued as a resource hub, for those affected by the fires. Not only did we give out information—but compassion, gift cards, and a continuous stream of immediate relief supplies were doled out as well.

February also saw the kick-off of our Black History Month permanent installation here on the website. We featured tech, health, finance, business, first responder and labor pioneers, including our founder Katherine Barr.

March continued the momentum from February, with ongoing fire recovery efforts and our programs in full swing. It was also National Women’s History Month—and the moment we dove headfirst into planning our biggest fundraiser of the year. Despite predictions that few people would be in a festive mood just five months after the fires, we were determined to prove otherwise by celebrating healing.

April rang in the realization of federal budget cuts to nonprofits and the administrative action against DEI. The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) was effectively dismantled-a gut punch to one of our most popular entrepreneurship-based programs.

No time to lament, just time to strengthen our resolve and diversify our funding. Our CEO stays on the go. She believes everything is possible, by working smart and hard. Cynthia Mitchell-Heard finds opportunity in every challenge and that’s our north star.

Weeks before the big show the entire event is sold out. May included final preps for our gala-like event in June. BeBe Winans? Confirmed! Doug E Fresh? Confirmed! October London? Confirmed! Jenifer Lewis? Confirmed! And a whole lot more confirmed…to make this event the spectacular ‘Event of the Year.’

The preparation is in the planning, and as of now everything is in place. Everything is set. We just need the Southern California weather to cooperate.

The Whitney M. Young Jr. Awards and Celebration. Restore, Rebuild and Embrace Community: A Night of Unity, Justice, and Healing.

We gave out our highest accolades, with legal eagle George Fatheree winning the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award. Our musical guests put on a show! We galvanized the community around our mission in a night of healing and celebration. And our leader dropped a keynote that unlocked the passions of everyone in the crowd. The Honorable LA Mayor Karen Bass even pulled up for introductory remarks—amidst a backdrop of ICE Raids and immigration protests not far from her office in Downtown LA. That’s Los Angeles 2025 for you. What a year! The blockbuster event was featured in OK, TooFab and People Magazine.

We’ve undergone a change in our chairman of the board, added four new board members and have a celebrity golf tournament fundraiser planned for late July. 

Our team returned from the Annual Conference in Cleveland energized, after hearing our national leader Marc Morial declare our civil rights push “A State of Emergency.” While our Urban League family serves the nation, we’re focused on our own backyard, too. In October, we’ll release the State of Black Los Angeles report with LA County—a barometer, report card, and call to action on urgent issues like economic stability, affordable housing, health access, and immigration. Subtitled Solidarity in Action: Black and Brown LA, this event will take place October 16.

Back home, our PROGRAMS continue to thrive with record participation and measurable impact—and July brought more reasons to celebrate. We were awarded a major grant from the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity through its High Road Training Partnerships program, and just days later, we hosted the exciting and highly successful Los Angeles Urban League Celebrity Golf Tournament. Nearly 300 players, leaders, and celebrities came together at Calabasas Country Club for a day of friendly competition, community building, and fundraising for our mission. It was a tee-rific success and a perfect close to a landmark month.

Our summer newsletter, the second edition of The Quarterly is out. Are you read in? Check out the latest issue!

We celebrated with the Concerned Citizens Community Involvement (CCCI) team at their grand opening of Serenity Apartments, a multi-use senior housing community, at 1623 W. Manchester Ave. As development at this address continues, the Los Angeles Urban League will be spending more time there. We are CCCI’s workforce development and training resource partner. Together we’re building a more connected and opportunity-rich South Los Angeles.

Intuit IDEAS Cohorts graduate the first week in September!

The staff once again is in full planning mode for yet another major event. This will be our 3rd annual State of Black LA. A one-day event highlighted by a progress report on racial equality in LA County and a trio of panels that will advance discussion and discourse into action and solutions. These are difficult yet important conversations that must take place. The Los Angeles Urban League is poised to lead these discussions. Our event is sold out, but you can still join, virtually, because the entire event will be livestreamed by NBC4-Telemundo 52, on October 16.

Our second Intuit IDEAS cohort has graduated 50 new promising entrepreneurs. This doubles our output from the inaugural cohort. This program, which started with the Los Angeles Urban League, is expanding nationally to 8 other cities and launching an additional cohort to support military veterans.

State of Black LA 2025 turned out to be a phenomenal event. A packed house of 500 attendees. 45 different speakers in all. Some of the most brilliant minds and influential voices in California all driving toward solutions and better pathways forward for Black and Brown Angelenos. Watch the livestream playback now!

Two days later our staff turned out in force at the Taste of Soul. With more than 300,000 attendees it’s the largest free one-day street festival in California. Our Pres. & CEO spoke on stage and Los Angeles Urban League staffers spread the good news of what our organization is doing for underserved communities in Los Angeles.

Now we’re busy preparing for another big event next month, our annual Career Fair coming up on Nov. 18, a pivotal convening under our jobs/workforce development action pillar.

Our Career Fair took place at just the right time for the Los Angeles area. With the county unemployment rate hovering around 6.5% in November and California saddled with one of the highest state unemployment rates in the country, some 700 job seekers attended the job forum held at LA Trade Tech college. We had more than 40 employers represented. Some recruiters conducted interviews and made hires. Others collected resumés, head hunting for talent. Job seekers interviewed preferred this in-person job search, over the fragmented online application process.

The next day, a batch of promising business owners recruited by our entrepreneurship center, were treated to an enlightening presentation on developing financial projections for their business ventures. When done properly, this increases an entrepreneur’s chances of securing a business loan. The symposium was conducted by the award-winning highly rated financial firm of Momentus Capital.

Our Programs Unit launched its highly valuable BRIDGES LA workforce development trainings. Paid trainings in various sectors that will help launch careers in tech, applied AI and sustainable construction. The 7-week Learning Skills for Life is nearing its completion. This educational program in which we’ve partnered with Diageo, a global luxury spirits company, trains hopefuls seeking careers in the restaurant and hospitality sector.

Closing strong! Over the course of this Fall Los Angeles Urban League advanced its mission to expand economic opportunity and strengthen community resilience across Los Angeles. In October, LAUL convened leaders, advocates, and residents at the annual State of Black Los Angeles symposium, fostering critical dialogue and collaboration around economic stability, health, and civic engagement.

In November, LAUL’s workforce and entrepreneurship initiatives continued with the annual Career Fair, connecting hundreds of job seekers directly with employers across multiple industries. Throughout the season, LAUL also delivered workforce training, small business education, and access-to-capital programming, equipping Angelenos with the tools, connections, and resources needed to move forward with confidence.