Welcome to the Summer edition of The Quarterly.

Greetings everyone. We’ve crossed the midway mark of another robust calendar year. Our 105th of operation. The Quarterly continues to expand its readership with each edition. If you like what you read here pass it on. Your words of encouragement are inspiring, and if you’d like to sponsor this publication we urge you to reach out to us. Our annual gathering, gala, gowns, graduation and summer camp top the storylines for this newsletter, but let’s start with the National Urban League Conference in the Music City.

As you read this, a delegation of Los Angeles Urban League staffers, board members, Young Professionals and Guilders is headed to Nashville to take part in the Urban League National Conference. For the next five days, this is the epicenter for anyone in the civil rights social justice world. All 93 local chapters of the Urban League will be represented.

We convene, chisel out policy positions and remind the world why the work of the Urban League is important. Numerous chapter and leadership awards are handed out. This year, however, we already snagged one of the biggest honors. You might have heard the big news but we’ll state it again.

For the last 24 years, the LA Urban League has sent a delegation to the national conference. Next year we’re not going anywhere. Everybody’s coming here because we were named as the host chapter and city for the 2027 National Urban League Conference!

National President & CEO Marc Morial traveled to LA to make the big announcement in April and last month a cadre of NUL leaders visited us again as planning for LA27 has already started. President Morial and Mayor Karen Bass are already on the record of wanting to make the 2027 Conference, “the biggest, baddest and most bodacious” Urban League conference ever held. July 21-24, 2027. Get ready Los Angeles.

We kicked off Los Angeles’ summer gala season with our 51st Whitney M. Young Jr. Awards Celebration. We welcomed more than 600 guests for an evening of celebration and impact, reaffirming our shared commitment to advancing equity and economic empowerment, underscoring the legacy of Whitney Young.

We honored five remarkable leaders whose vision has created long-standing opportunity throughout Los Angeles. With these five awards we “Honored the Legacy” of community leadership. We “Advanced the Future” paying tribute to young scholars who’ve participated in our education programs, along with thriving young business owners who’ve participated in our entrepreneur programs.

Through generous sponsors and donors who answered our call to action, this event helped us raise critical support to carry out our mission. We want to thank all the individuals, philanthropists, corporate partners, entertainment icons, elected officials

and business leaders who made this night unforgettable. It received widespread media coverage, was picked up in a few national outlets and was heavily touted on social media. Relive the entire gala experience here.

During the first week in June we held our annual 7th Annual Black High School Graduation Ceremony. This is one of our signature education inititiatives and traditions celebrating academic excellence. We awarded numerous prizes, certifications and scholarships to grads who are continuing their education, helping launch the next chapters of their professional and academic journeys.

Compton School Board President Micah Ali delivered an inspirational keynote address, reinforcing the value of education, highlighting the role it has played in his own success.

The student speaker was Verbum Dei Jesuit H.S. Valedictorian, Lamont Newell. Carrying a 4.30 GPA and accepted by 65 different colleges, Lamont has decided to pursue his education at Columbia University this fall. Congratulations to Lamont and all our scholarly grads!  Lamont was also one of our featured speakers at the gala.

Shortly after our commencement exercises, we welcomed National President Marc Morial back into Los Angeles yet again on June 11, along with the Cal State University school system.

President Morial, LA Urban League President & CEO Cynthia Mitchell-Heard, and a contingent of other local, state, and national leaders all took part in a symposium titled “Pathways to Progress. Legacy, Learning and Leadership.”

The gathering served as the unofficial launch of California’s Juneteenth celebration. Held at Cal State LA, the event was live streamed to all other 22 CSU campuses.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER ACTIVITIES

Along with Education, our Entrepreneurship Center and Workforce Development Programs continue to generate impact across Los Angeles. Within the past 90 days, the MBDA Urban Capital Readiness initiative launched its second 2026 cohort, after graduating the first cohort that took flight earlier this year.

This program is an intensive eight-week business development initiative designed to help entrepreneurs access capital, strengthen their business foundations, and position their companies for sustainable growth. It provides participants with business and financial planning support, one-on-one coaching, leadership development, and connections to funding sources.

Sponsored by the Minority Business Development Agency, the active cohort has nearly 60 participants, while the cohort which finished earlier consisted of 30 small business owners. Through success of this program, we continue to foster an expansive network of entrepreneurs committed to growth, innovation, and long-term success. See above hilite reel from cohort one graduation.

One business owner who matriculated through one of our EC programs is Justin Johnson, co-owner of the popular restaurant, The Serving Spoon. The Spoon recently won a James Beard Award, one of the highest accolades a restaurant can win. Justin spoke at our gala, delivering a warm testimonial of what he learned in the entrepreneurship cohort with the Los Angeles Urban League. His video above is just one of the hundreds of success stories from our entrepreneur programs.

Also earlier this month we celebrated the conclusion of our three-week Biz Camp summer program where nearly 50 aspiring young entrepreneurs displayed their CEO skills. The program culminated in a pitch competition with campers presenting their business ideas in front of a distinguished panel of judges.

We handed out thousands of dollars in awards to the top presenters, but every participant walked away a winner. Some of this year’s business concepts included a website design studio, a custom phone case line, a seafood/catering food truck and an AI-driven sticker tracking app.

Programs like Biz Camp are made possible by the support of our donors whose investment inspires young learners to dream boldly. Every camper leaves with more than a business plan—they leave believing their vision has the power to shape the future.

Organizationally we continue to provide job and career training for individuals in Green Building, Applied Ethical AI & Clean Tech, Data & eDiscovery and Women in the Trades through our ERiCA (Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship) Grant.

Some of our recent progress includes recruiting 17 mentors and 4 mentees, establishing a growing network of experienced tradeswomen committed to providing guidance, encouragement, and career development opportunities for women entering the construction industry.

These three organizations have committed to collaborating with us in transforming worksite culture by promoting equity, inclusion, mentorship, and supportive workplace environments.

• • • O2 Engineering Projects and Construction. Thank you O2EPCM for your partnership!

    • CTI Environmental, Inc. Thank you CTI for your partnership!

    • Welding and Fabrication, Inc. Thank you for your partnership!

Through their support we are playing a valuable role in creating safer, more inclusive workplaces in which women can thrive and lead in their careers. Additionally, ERiCA Program staff attended the IBEW Local 11 Empowerment Celebration, held on July 9 celebrating 20 years of achievements by women in the electrical trades.

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Los Angeles Urban League

4401 Crenshaw Blvd., Suite 201

Los Angeles, CA 90043

www.laul.org