Our Mission
The mission of the Los Angeles Urban League is to help African Americans and all others in underserved communities achieve their highest true social parity, economic self-reliance, power, and civil rights. The League promotes economic empowerment through education and job training, housing and community development, workforce development, entrepreneurship, health, and quality of life.
Distinguished Leadership
Cynthia Mitchell-Heard
President & CEO
Cynthia Mitchell-Heard was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Urban League in 2023. She has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit management, public affairs and philanthropy sectors. Previously Cynthia served as Executive Vice President of the YWCA Greater Los Angeles. She has been appointed to sit on numerous boards including the League of Women Voters in California, the USC Black Alumni Association and the KIS Foundation. Cynthia received a Bachelor of Arts from University of Southern California and graduated with a Master of Education from Howard University in Washington D.C.
Our Story Through The Years
Tuskegee Industrial Welfare League
In June 1921, the Los Angeles-based Tuskegee Industrial Welfare League merged with the National Urban League and became known as the Los Angeles Urban League with Katherine Barr as its founder and first president.
Katherine Barr, Founder,
Los Angeles Urban League, 1921
News clip from Los Angeles Evening
Herald, Saturday, June 18, 1921
1931-1950
Under Floyd Covington’s leadership the Los Angeles Urban League adopted new business models, expanded programs, and grew exponentially to serve a growing population.
Floyd Covington, Executive Director,
Los Angeles Urban League, 1931-1950
Covington (far right) with clerks at Pay ’n Takit, a Los Angeles store whose workforce he helped integrate, 1933.
1950 - 1968
Wesley Brazier served as the LA Urban League Executive Director from 1950 to 1968. With a focus on workforce training job placement, eliminating discrimination in housing, health, and education, Brazier set the tone for expansion and change during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
From left to right: Wesley R. Brazier, executive director; Dr. Leroy R. Weekes, president; James E. Payne, director; George E. Bryant, program chairman.
Wesley Brazier, center, at Los Angeles Western Union Telegraph, 1965
The John Mack Era
The Honorable John Mack led the organization for 36 years from 1969 until his retirement in 2005. During his tenure, the LA Urban League experienced incredible growth. A consummate bridge builder, Mack was able to create connections with disparate groups ensuring that communities of color were represented in small business, corporate board rooms and city hall. With Mayors Tom Bradley, Richard Riordan and Antonio Villaraigosa, Mack always worked to find common ground and create change.
John Mack, right, shows President George H. W. Bush around South Los Angeles in the aftermath of the 1992 civil unrest.
A champion of police reform throughout his career, John Mack, center, would become President of the Los Angeles Police Commission in 2005 after retiring from LAUL.
Moving Forward
Under the leadership now of Cynthia Mitchell-Heard, the Los Angeles Urban League is poised to carry on the journey started in 1921 under its first leader Katherine Barr – helping underserved communities fully participate in the LA economy, while helping to change the social conditions of their environment.
Thanks to the support of our corporate and community partners, donors and volunteers, the Los Angeles Urban League continues to educate and empower African Americans and other minorities to secure economic self-reliance and civil rights by providing targeted social programs and advocating for issues that benefit our communities.
As a civil rights organization involved in advocacy locally and statewide, we are a leader in defending freedoms, equal access, and protections against discrimination. This means safeguarding underserved communities from unfair treatment by the government or private institutions.
In 2024, our celebrity golf tournament found its way back on course after a few years of dormancy.
Our programs help people find suitable jobs, advance careers, further their education and grow their businesses. We provide transportation initiatives, secure affordable housing, access to quality health and service those displaced and negatively impacted by the Altadena-area wildfire.
At the 2024 State of Black LA event, President & CEO Cynthia Mitchell-Heard receives a sizeable donation from Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove.