The Urban League of Hampton Roads Recognized for Black Excellence at National Urban League
2023 Conference
Affiliate brings home prestigious awards from the National Conference in Houston
NORFOLK, Va. (August 03, 2023) – – The Urban League of Hampton Roads (ULHR) won several awards of distinction at the 2023 National Urban League (NUL) Annual Conference in Houston. Led by Marc Morial, President & CEO of NUL, the conference is the nation’s largest and most influential civil rights and urban advocacy event designed to advance America’s conversation about justice, opportunity, and the future of democracy. Each year, leaders in business, policymakers, community activists and social justice advocates gather to explore the issues and initiatives that profoundly affect the communities served by the Urban League network of 93 affiliates nationwide.
ULHR’s Charles Haywood, Director of Education and Youth Development, Masai Wilson, Manager of Education and Youth Development Programs, Paris Jackson, ULHR Intern and the Hampton High School Project Ready team won first place in the 2023 National Youth Summit’s Project Ready Case Competition. The Case Competition challenges high school students to solve real-world problems in their communities. For this competition, the ULHR Hampton High School team created a compelling video and mock funeral presentation on gun violence and its devastating impact to teens, mental health and more. Courtesy of travel and lodging sponsorship provided by the National Urban League, ten students and one Assistant Principal from Hampton High School were in attendance to present during the competition.
Patricia Gibson, Director of Employment & Corporate Partnerships for the ULHR, was recognized as the National Vice President of the Year for the Young Professionals. This is the first time ULHRYP’s has been recognized since 2013. Gibson has served in the Urban League movement since 2015 and currently serves at the President of the ULHR Young Professionals. The mission of the ULHRYPs is to engage young professionals in the Urban League of Hampton Roads’ movement towards the achievement of social and economic equality. The group of empowered young professionals are between the ages 21 and 40 and live, work, and serve in the Hampton Roads area.
Francine Humphrey, Director of Financial Counseling for the ULHR, also serves as President of the ULHR Guild and the recipient of three NUL Guild Community Service Awards: Third place for Fundraising for the Eastern Region, African American Equal Pay Forum and Healthy Awareness Day on behalf of ULHR’s Guild. The Urban League Guild of Hampton Roads, a volunteer auxiliary of the Urban League, is comprised of volunteers ages 40 + who donate their time to deliver services that extend public understanding and support of the Urban League and its programs.
“We are extremely proud of the prestigious recognition of the exemplary hard work and dedication of our team”
“We are extremely proud of the prestigious recognition of the exemplary hard work and dedication of our team,” said Gil Bland, President & CEO for the Urban League of Hampton Roads. “We excelled at the NUL Conference on the Affiliate level with our Project Ready program taking First Place, along with our Young Professionals and Guild – a trifecta! This is rare and receiving these awards at a national level continues to fuel our commitment to our mission to provide excellence in services and programs to underserved communities. A special thank you for the National Urban League and Project Ready corporate sponsors whose financial support enables our ability to serve Hampton Roads youth: Dollar Tree, The Hampton Roads Community Foundation, Riverside Health System, and Truist Bank.”
About Urban League of Hampton Roads
The mission of the Urban League of Hampton Roads, Inc. is to enable African Americans and others to secure economic self-reliance, parity and power and civil rights. The Urban League implements its mission by providing services and programs in education, employment, health, and housing to Hampton Roads communities through direct services, advocacy, research, policy analysis, community mobilization and collaboration throughout communities.