From September 28 to October 1, the National Urban League (NUL) will for the first time offer its annual conference virtually and for free. NUL is a nonpartisan civil rights and urban advocacy organization.
Registration is open to the public.
"Holding the conference virtually is not only emblematic of the dramatic change the nation is undergoing, but it allows us to make the conference itself more inclusive and far-reaching," said Marc H. Morial, the president and CEO of NUL and former mayor of New Orleans.
Activists, elected officials, artists, and business leaders will come together to network and address pressing racial, economic, and social justice issues. Recently, for instance, Morial called on Congress pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill. At the conference, similar topics will be discussed.
"We stand united. We want action on infrastructure and jobs, and we want it now," said Morial at a recent press conference hosted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and NUL. "We've seen the challenges with respect to racial justice, and we've experienced a wake-up call to the need to infuse equity in every piece of legislation."
Each day of the NUL conference will center on a different theme. Tuesday's opening day will focus on empowerment, or ways to galvanize communities to tackle structural inequity, police brutality, and threats to voting rights amid COVID-19.
Wednesday will offer sessions on career development and networking. And Thursday will look at Black-owned businesses and their significance to the nation's economic growth.
Lastly, Friday will close the conference with sessions on the tech industry. Participants will be able to connect with potential industry partners and find out about nontraditional sources of business funding.
Tim Murphy, president of NUL's Board of Trustees and chief administrative officer for Mastercard, has called the conference "a laboratory" for social and economic innovation.