Indianapolis, IN, October 31, 2025 – Mid-decade redistricting will mute the power of Black and Hispanic voices. This is not what democracy looks like.
Marc H. Morial
President and CEO
National Urban League
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2025
“This act flows from a clear and simple wrong. Its only purpose is to right that wrong. Millions of Americans are denied the right to vote because of their color. This law will ensure them the right to vote. The wrong is one which no American, in his heart, can justify. The right is one which no American, true to our principles, can deny.” – President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed the Voting Rights Act of 1964
The Supreme Court holds the future of America in its hands this week. It gets to decide whether this is a nation that serves a great many or only the voices of a select few. It is going to determine if we are charting a path towards fulfilling our promise of liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness for all, or backsliding to a dark past where a racial caste system denied the right to vote to millions of Americans based on the color of their skin.
That is what is at the heart of Louisiana v. Callais, a case that will decide the legality of a Congressional map that adequately reflects the population of the same state where the very same court declared segregation legal just over a century ago in Plessy v. Ferguson.
In Louisiana v. Callais, a group of “non-African-American” voters is decrying that a newly created district in 2024 that allotted for two majority African American Congressional districts, two of six, which directly reflects the state’s Black population, discriminates against them.
Civil rights groups argue that the new district is lawful under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1964 (VRA). For those of you unfamiliar with Section 2, it allows for legal action against state entities, including states, counties, and municipalities, on the following factors:
Let’s look at the history of Louisiana, a state that allowed generations of poll taxes, literacy tests, race-based terror, and again, Plessy v. Ferguson, to mar its past; the state has a history of voting discrimination.
It is also clear that favoring a Congressional map that concentrates political power in a party that has demonstrated that the needs of working-class and poor Louisianans, who are disproportionately Black, don’t matter is also a violation.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (LA-04) has presided over a Congress that has passed a massive spending bill that provided one of the most significant wealth transfers in American history from the poor to the wealthy, while slashing Medicaid and SNAP benefits. The same bill slashed the environmental protections in a state home to Cancer Alley, a 150-mile stretch of oil refineries and chemical plants through majority African American communities.
And make no mistake, striking down Section 2 won’t stop at disenfranchisement in Louisiana. In the last two, North Carolina, Missouri, and Texas have been directed to redraw their state maps to increase Republican seats in the House of Representatives.
Gutting section 2 of the VRA is not only a disgrace but an assault on the 15th Amendment, the Constitution, and what it means to live in America itself.
If this is a nation where every American should have the right to freedom and to have a voice in the future of this country, then we must call out when the highest court in the land chooses to silence large swaths of us based on the color of our skin and our beliefs.
This is an attack on Black voting power, an attack on Black America, and an attack on the future of American Democracy.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS URGE CONGRESS TO SUPPORT DELAURO-MURRAY PROPOSAL AND END THE HARMFUL IMPACTS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
WASHINGTON, D.C. and NEW YORK (October 8, 2025) – Leaders of the nation’s top civil rights organizations issued the following statement in response to the federal government shutdown:
This shutdown is not just a political impasse—it’s a failure of leadership. We call on Congress and the White House to protect Americans from skyrocketing healthcare premiums and ensure that taxpayer dollars are used to serve the public—not withheld as leverage against the immediate reopening of the government.
The ongoing government shutdown is causing real harm to communities across the country, and it’s time for those in power to take responsibility and pass legislation that would safeguard critical services for millions of Americans, including Black communities.
The White House has the duty to show leadership and bring the parties to the table to end this crisis, restore government operations, preserve millions of Americans’ access to affordable healthcare, and ensure that federal funding is used for its intended purposes—not held hostage for political gain or rescinded in contradiction of Congress’s spending power under the U.S. Constitution.
Every day the shutdown continues, Americans are suffering in numerous ways including:
The American people deserve better. It’s time to put partisanship aside and put the country first.
Marc H. Morial
President and Chief Executive Officer
National Urban League
Reverend Al Sharpton
Founder and President
National Action Network
Melanie Campbell?
President and Chief Executive Officer?
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation?
and Convener Black Women’s Roundtable?
?Derrick Johnson??
President and Chief Executive Officer?
NAACP?
Janai Nelson?
President and Director-Counsel?
NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.?
Damon Hewitt??
President and Executive Director?
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law?
Shavon Arline-Bradley??
President and Chief Executive Officer?
National Council of Negro Women??
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release
Monday, October 27, 2025
Statement from the African American Coalition of Indianapolis
on Redistricting and Fair Representation
INDIANAPOLIS, October 27, 2025 – The African American Coalition of Indianapolis (AACI) is closely monitoring national and Indiana conversations around potential mid-decade redistricting and its implications for Black Hoosiers.
While redistricting is traditionally conducted every ten years following the U.S. Census, an increasing number of states are redrawing political maps mid-decade. Indiana political leaders are being heavily lobbied to create a mid-decade redistricting plan. Although legally permissible, these efforts raise serious concerns about fairness, transparency, and equitable representation. Across the country, redistricting decisions have had profound effects on the political influence of Black voters and other communities of color.
In Indiana, the 7th and 1st Congressional Districts include many of the state’s Black and Latino residents. Any changes to these boundaries could alter the balance of representation and diminish the collective voice of diverse urban communities. Fair representation is essential to ensuring that public policy reflects the needs of all Hoosiers, especially in areas such as healthcare, infrastructure, and economic opportunity.
AACI believes redistricting must be guided by principles of equity, accountability, and community participation. We encourage all AACI member organizations, their members, and all residents to stay engaged by attending public hearings, reviewing proposed maps, and holding decision-makers accountable for maintaining transparency throughout the process.
Indiana’s democracy works best when every vote counts equally, and every community is fairly represented. The African American Coalition of Indianapolis stands ready to advocate for a redistricting process that protects and uplifts the voices of all Hoosiers. These principles will guide our communication with public officials, our allies, and supporters.
We encourage YOU to:
To make outreach easier, we’ve included the following attachments:
Together, we can protect fair representation for all Hoosiers.
by Matt Christy
Posted:
May 19, 2025 / 04:07 PM EDT Updated:
May 20, 2025 / 10:18 AM EDT FOX 59INDIANAPOLIS — The president and CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana warned on Monday that President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” would create “a needless, self-inflicted humanitarian and economic disaster for Indiana and the country.”
The GOP-backed spending bill in question, currently heading to the House for a full vote on Thursday, contains a $300 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next decade. More than 600,000 Hoosiers rely on the SNAP program to feed themselves and their family.
Gleaners CEO Fred Glass warned this massive cut in federal funding would harm “not only those of us facing hunger, but all Americans.”
Rachel West of the Century Foundation said this nearly 30% cut to the program could cost the average Hoosier on SNAP to lose between $110-$120 in monthly benefits, assuming they aren’t kicked off the program altogether.
“It’s nearly a full week of benefits,” West said. “Indiana families are in a worse position than many American families if these benefit cuts go into effect.”
But the impact of these cuts would affect all Hoosiers, not just those who rely on SNAP to put food on the table. Without federal backing, the cost of SNAP benefits would be shifted onto the states. This means Indiana would be on the hook to provide $356 million in benefits.
“Assuming the state is unable to take this action, Hoosiers in need will lose access to 133 million meals,” Gleaners warned in their statement. “For context, last year Indiana’s 11 food banks, all together, provided 108 million meals to Hoosiers facing hunger. Indiana’s food banks will simply not be able to replace 133 million meals.”
Of the 610,000 Hoosiers who rely on SNAP, roughly 264,000 are children while 82,000 are seniors.
“For many Hoosiers and other Americans, most of whom have jobs to try to make ends meet, SNAP is a key part of them keeping their heads above water,” Glass said. “These proposed cuts would not only plunge them deeper into poverty, but create related economic and societal costs for all Americans.”
While many Republicans continue to defend cuts to federal programs as “eliminating waste,” the Gleaners Food Bank argued otherwise by stating SNAP is “widely recognized as being highly effective and efficient in not only addressing hunger but also generating economic activity.”
The Commonwealth Fund evaluated that the $300 billion cut to SNAP funding would have rippling consequences on state economies and lead to a loss of 143,000 jobs and $1.8 billion in lost state and government revenue across the country in just the first year of the decade-long SNAP cuts.
Deep cuts to SNAP are only part of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” also included is $800 billion in reduced Medicaid spending, $46.5 billion to revive construction of Trump’s border wall and $150 million in new money for the Defense Department.
Hannah Adamson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
As the Trump administration expands its efforts to erase Black history and sites of memory, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Civil Rights groups affirm the value of Black Americans and our history to America
WASHINGTON, DC — A coalition of leading civil rights groups has signed an affirmation in defense of Black history, texts and art, as the Trump administration continues to attack the critical civic infrastructure that allows the public to understand that Black history is American history and that empowers all in the fight to protect democracy.
In response to a slew of executive orders targeting the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Department of Education and diversity initiatives across the government, the coalition is sounding the alarm that the attempted mass erasure of Black history and culture is a key pre-condition for our ongoing anti-democratic slide. By affirming the core value of Black history and culture to American life, the group is outlining a path forward in defending valuable artifacts, books and sites of memory across the country and inviting allies to join the fight.
The African American Policy Forum, the National Urban League, National Council of Negro Women, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, the National Action Network, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Legal Defense Fund, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights all have united to affirm: “Racial inequality remains real; if we are not able to understand it, tell its history, and honor those who have risked everything to solve it, then we lose our capacity to carry the legacy, brilliance and resilience of these freedom fighters in our lives and to future generations. Democracy is a constant struggle, and the erasure of our history prevents us from fighting to preserve it.”
The full statement can be found below.
The affirmation kicks off the #HandsOffOurHistory / Freedom To Learn National Week of Action, which will culminate Saturday, May 3 in Washington, D.C. with a demonstration in defense of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a crown jewel of the Smithsonian system and an testament to the power of accurate, accessible Black history being recognized as integral to American History.
The coalition also is urging people across the country to join in the demonstration from their communities by visiting their local museums and libraries, seeking out exhibitions and collections that uplift Black Americans and sharing photos online with the hashtag #HandsOffOurHistory.
More details on the activations — online, in-person and nationwide — can be found at https://link.edgepilot.com/s/672dd55e/zwneLPP4eketYU4X2In5iQ?u=http://www.freedomtolearn.net/.The full affirmation is as follows: “We affirm that Black history is American history, without which we cannot understand our country’s fight for freedom or secure a more democratic future. We must protect our history not just in books, schools, libraries, and universities, but also in museums, memorials, and remembrances that are sites of our national memory. The effort to erase Black voices, ideas, art and history is the effort to erase Black lives. Without Black history, we abandon our capacity to accurately assess the state of the republic or imagine a stronger one. Without Black history, we lose the important stories of resistance undertaken to defend our democracy and the tools we need to resist today. Without Black history, we forget how the civil rights movement created opportunities for other marginalized communities to secure equality, and we limit our capacity to organize for justice now. Racial inequality remains real; if we are not able to understand it, tell its history, and honor those who have risked everything to solve it, then we lose our capacity to carry the legacy, brilliance and resilience of these freedom fighters in our lives and to future generations. Democracy is a constant struggle, and the erasure of our history prevents us from fighting to preserve it.”
Marc H. Morial
President and CEO
National Urban League
“All Americans are entitled to live with the confidence that the law enforcement officers and agencies in their communities will live up to our Nation’s founding ideals and will protect the rights of all persons. Particularly in African-American communities, we must redouble our efforts as a Nation to swiftly address instances of misconduct.” — Presidential Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities, June 16, 2020
None of us can forget the moment we saw the murder of George Floyd unfolding before our very eyes.
The sight of a white officer’s knee squeezing the life from a helpless Black man in handcuff as he begged for mercy shocked the nation – a nation that had already seen police kill at least 17 other unarmed Black people just five months into the year.
I know what I felt at the time, and I’m sure you know how you felt. But let me share the immediate reaction of someone else:
“It should never happen, should never be allowed to happen, a thing like that. I understand the hurt. I understand the pain. The family of George is entitled to justice, and the people of Minnesota are entitled to live in safety … Americans will honor the memory of George and the Floyd family … It’s a horrible, horrible situation.
Those were the words of President Donald Trump.
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, President Trump issued an executive order to reform policing. It included a directive to create a publicly searchable database of substantiated misconduct and excessive force claims against federal police officers. It tightened use-of-force rules, banned chokeholds, and encouraged law enforcement to better address the needs of vulnerable populations.
Five years later, with Trump once again in the Oval Office, that commitment to accountability not only has dried up, but reversed itself with a vengeance. Last month he issued an executive order to “unleash” violent police, and his supporters are urging him to pardon George Floyd’s murderer.
At this critical moment, the nation must ask itself the essential question: Did we seize the moment to build a lasting movement, or did we squander the chance for transformative change?
The National League’s new report, George Floyd Five Years Later: Was It A Moment, Or A Movement? examines the ways in which government, institutions, advocates, and the business community mobilized in the five years since George Floyd’s death to advance policing reform and racial justice.
It also traces the rise of political and cultural backlash that has challenged, and in some cases reversed, that progress.
During the first year after the murder, corporations pledged more than $66 billion to racial justice. These commitments included increased funding for minority-owned businesses, supplier diversity programs, and DEI initiatives. S&P 100 companies grew their U.S. workforce by more than 323,000 in 2021 – and 94% of their new hires were people of color.
But in the backlash that followed, DEI job postings declined 44% from 2022 to 2023. Major companies like Google and Meta cut DEI programs supporting Black talent.
Anti-DEI rhetoric gained traction, and anti-equality activists like Edward Blum mounted successful challenges to racial equity programs.
Federal policies followed a similar trajectory. President Joe Biden issued an executive order immediately upon taking office, directing all agencies to create racial equity plans. The administration partnered with the National Urban League and other civil rights groups to not only to develop specific policies to address racial inequities, but to ensure fairness in initiatives like American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act.
Under Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clark, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice convicted more than180 police officers for civil rights violations and investigated 12 police departments and launched prison abuse investigations. President Biden issued an executive order to track police misconduct, ban chokeholds, and strengthen de-escalation training.
The second Trump Administration eliminated all DEI initiatives across the federal government on Day One. It rescinded Biden-era executive orders, including those advancing voter registration and equitable Census outreach. It froze all open DOJ civil rights investigations.
It is of the utmost urgency that we rise to defend not only the progress made in the years immediately after George Floyd’s murder, but of the last 60 years.
The National Urban League met the moment in 2020 by establishing a new division, Equitable Justice and Strategic Initiatives, to advocate for a fair justice system and equal access to participation in democracy and civic processes.
We developed “21 Pillars for Redefining Public Safety and Restoring Community Trust” as a national framework for police reform.
We developed a new phase of civil rights and social justice advocacy and activism, “D3,” based on three guiding principles — Defend Democracy, Demand Diversity, and Defeat Poverty.
Immediately after Inauguration Day this year, the National Urban League convened the Demand Diversity Roundtable, an emergency strategy session to confront immediate threats posed by the new administration’s anticipated attacks on civil and human rights.
Represented by the Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal, we and our co-plaintiffs National Fair Housing Alliance and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s unconstitutional anti-equity executive orders.
We launched the Fair Budget Coalition to advocate for an inclusive federal budget.
History will judge us – not by how we responded in the days after George Floyd’s death, but by what we are building five, ten, and twenty years later. The fight for justice, safety, and dignity is far from over—and the stakes for our democracy could not be higher.
NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE MOURNS THE PASSING OF BOARD VICE CHAIR ALEXIS HERMAN
NEW YORK (April 25, 2025) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following
statement regarding the death of Alexis Herman, Senior Vice Chair of the National Urban League’s Board of Trustees
and former U.S. Secretary of Labor:
“The entire Urban League family is grieving the loss of a gifted public servant, esteemed colleague, and cherished friend.
“A lifelong champion for working Americans and underserved communities, she blazed a trail for women of color as
the youngest director of the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau in history and the first Black Labor Secretary. She led the
effort to institute a global child labor standard; moved people from welfare to work with dignity; and launched the most
aggressive unemployed youth initiative since the 1970’s. She presided over a period of record-low unemployment and
successfully advocated for a pivotal hike in the federal minimum wage.
“Her expertise and leadership have been invaluable in steer the National Urban League toward record growth,
professionalism, and impact. She was instrumental in driving the development of the National Urban League
Empowerment Center, our soon-to-be new headquarters and the most significant economic development project
in recent Harlem history.
“Her commitment to empowering underserved individuals and marginalized communities was fierce, genuine,
and unwavering. From a young age, she challenged the injustices of racial segregation and never strayed from
her deeply-held principles and high standards of integrity.
“We are devastated by the loss of an irreplaceable champion, stalwart leader, and compassionate friend. Our heartfelt
condolences are with her family, friends, and all those who have been touched by her kindness. “
Washington, D.C. (April 1, 2025) –The National Urban League today denounced the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act), an extremist effort to dismantle democracy and disenfranchise millions of American citizens.
“Not satisfied with giving up Congress’s power to be a check on the President, House Republicans are now attempting to undermine the foundation of our democracy, our fundamental right to vote,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. “Under the guise of combatting so called voter fraud—a problem that does not exist —the SAVE Act will make it harder for millions of American citizens to vote.”
The SAVE Act requires all voters to show documentary proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate or passport, any time they register to vote or make changes to their voter registration. More than 21 million eligible voters do not have these documents readily available, including two-thirds of Black Americans who do not have a valid passport and 69 million women and 4 million men who do not have birth certificates that match their name.
“This administration has already been permitted to usurp Congressional power to declare that the U.S. is in a war with Venezuela in order to disappear people off the street without due process, use tariffs to threaten our close allies like Canada and Mexico, and shutter agencies like the Department of Education that have congressional authorization,” Morial said. “The National Urban League will not be quiet as Congressional Republicans allow this illegal power grab to strip away the right to vote. We urge all Members of Congress to vote against this transparent effort to silence the voices of the people.”
The National Urban League is mobilizing its volunteers, allies, and partners across the country to contact their Congressional representatives and implore them to defend democracy and protect voting rights.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release
Monday, March 24, 2025
African American Coalition of Indianapolis Statement on Education
Indianapolis, IN – March 24, 2025 – Taking funds from one group of children to give to another group of
children is not improving funding for education of children—it’s a failure to provide the resources that
all children need.
Unfortunately, our public policy debate has missed this fundamental truth pitting education reform
objectives against IPS and the community instead of advocating for better funding of education for all
students.
In both SB 1 and SB 518 the Indiana General Assembly is considering legislative proposals that would
substantially impact K-12 education in Indiana.
While SB 1 seeks property tax relief we note that public schools will be negatively impacted as they rely
on these dollars.
SB 518 as it left the Senate, is a proposal supported by education reform organizations that also diverts
property tax dollars from IPS traditional schools and redistributes it to charter schools.
The SB 518 proposal and its endorsement by education reform organizations is striking in both its
radical impact on IPS and the lack of community engagement that occurred with entities that purport to
be partners with IPS.
IPS has estimated that approximately 20-25 schools would close due to the impact of SB 518.
The community engaged in a series of public meetings and conversations around Rebuilding Stronger, a
plan that was presented to the community for review and input.
Once engaged the community strongly supported the IPS Rebuilding Stronger referendum with 59% of
voters approving a plan for moving the district forward.
Education reform organizations did not engage in a similar level of community outreach and are seeking
to advance proposals that are ultimately harmful to traditional public and innovation charter schools.
They are doing this to the community instead of with the community.
Tactics by any group to intimidate IPS into acquiescing to demands that would destroy it are
unreasonable and can’t be tolerated. The community stood with IPS when it supported the IPS
Rebuilding Stronger referendum and further supports its efforts to change.
We note that part of the reason charter schools were added to the education landscape was that
proponents agreed to receive less money than traditional public schools.
Charter schools were supposed to provide better educational outcomes for less dollars forgoing both
building and transportation funding. We note that the wide variation in performance of charter schools is
similar to that of traditional public schools.
And while there have been misleading attempts to suggest one system is better than the other, the reality
is that the educational landscape has not been improved by the experiment with charter school
saturation.
Indianapolis is known for innovation not superior education outcomes.
There has been a concerted effort to confuse and mislead the community by focusing on growth and
other metrics.
Parents should expect that if they send their child to a traditional public school, charter school or private
school for 180 days that their child should be proficient—or able to pass state English Language Arts
and Math tests.
Parents must do their part to ensure accountability toward proficiency, but we must stop confusing the
goals of public education.
Parents should also expect the Indiana General Assembly to properly fund education with funding that at
a minimum meets inflation if not exceeds inflation. Paltry increases of 2% when inflation has been as
high as 9% in recent years is not fiscally responsible.
SB 518 is a radical proposal whose consequences have not been fully considered because proponents
seek to impose their will on the community instead of working with the community to arrive at a
solution that works for all schools.
We are not opposed to choice. But we do expect accountability. We are not opposed to charter or private
schools but there must be a public education system that holds all schools equally accountable to better
serve all students.
We must figure out how to fund all children instead of picking winners and losers—because in picking
winners we all lose.
Baptist Minister’s Alliance
Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis
Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League
I Am Health Education
Indiana Black Expo
Indianapolis Urban League
Indy Black Chamber of Commerce
Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance
Interdenominational Ministers Alliance
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. Alpha Alpha Omega Indianapolis Alumni Chapter
National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Indianapolis Chapter Inc.
Purpose 4 My Pain
The Black Church Coalition
The Father’s Foundation
The Ross Foundation