ReMARCs: The President, Partnership & Priorities

By Marc Morial,

President & CEO, National Urban League

On Tuesday, I and several national civil rights leaders attended a meeting at the White House with President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett and others to discuss many of the priorities the President laid out in his State of the Union address last month.

We were all encouraged by the administration’s extensive conversation around – and commitment to – addressing some of our nation’s biggest challenges: unemployment and under-employment, including underlying racial disparities; livable wages for all working Americans and an increase in the minimum wage; job creation; education; healthcare for all Americans through the Affordable Care Act; workforce training and development; voting rights; and criminal justice reform.

We also presented the President with our “21st Century Agenda for Jobs and Freedom.”  First released last August during the National Urban League’s Redeem the Dream Summit in Washington, DC, this domestic policy agenda was developed by a coalition of civil rights, social justice, labor, business and community leaders and articulates a vision for national priorities that can – and must – drive economic recovery and rebirth for African-Americans, urban communities and all low-income and working-class Americans.  The agenda lays out five urgent domestic goals for the nation:  1) Achieve Economic Parity for African-Americans; 2) Promote Equity in Educational Opportunity; 3) Protect and Defend Voting Rights; 4) Promote a Healthier Nation by Eliminating Healthcare Disparities; and 5) Achieve Comprehensive Criminal Justice System Reform.

I have said this before, and I will repeat it until no longer necessary: the issues that our nation is facing are too big for one entity alone to solve.  As evidenced by our Jobs Rebuild America initiative and the on-the-ground, direct services that the Urban League provides to hundreds of communities across the country every day, a tripod partnership of the government, business and non-profit sectors is needed to drive the policies, job creation and program innovation required to revitalize struggling communities.

I am proud that the administration recognizes our efforts – and I look forward to continually working together to help put America on the right track.