Syracuse's Urban League: Who is Stepping up? STAFF REPORTER- RODNEY BROWN
Littlejohn departed from the League to pursue a full-time career as a corporate executive 10 years before the local chapter's dissolution. Littlejohn implied that, it could be various reasons why the chapter closed its doors. She pointed to factors such as, the economic climate and the role of other local non profit organizations stepping-in to provide some of the same services that were being offered by the Urban League. Syracuse's 2000 Census records indicated, about 21.7 percent of families and 27.3 percent of the population were below the poverty line. In the City of Syracuse where African Americans are mostly concentrated; close to 40 percent of the residents live below the poverty line. With knowledge of the statistics indicating a pattern of generational poverty among minorities in the city, the presumption would be the services of an organization like the Urban League is still needed. In response- Littlejohn stated, she doesn't think you would find anyone who would argue for less advocacy. "I think there's a role for the Urban League not only in Syracuse but across the country," Littlejohn said. The imposing questions are: How do we become more accepted? How can we advocate better? How can we work more together and efficiently with other organizations?" The Urban League has branches throughout the nation with its national office based in New York City. The National Urban League (NUL), formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions among Negroes is a non partisan civil rights organization that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. The NUL has noted itself to be the oldest and largest community-based organization of its kind in the nation. Today, Littlejohn is the Regional Executive of energy solutions delivery for National Grid, a public utility company in Syracuse. "Even though, I am employed in the corporate world; I still honor the Urban League tenants with my day to day activity," Littlejohn said. "Individually and through my job; I continue to work with Syracuse's youth in a career culture fashion. I continue to prepare them for challenges they're sure to encounter in corporate settings." Littlejohn actions as a faithful public servant are in sink with the national office's vision that calls for economic security and economic development among African Americans' especially in the area of job security. In a report released on March 24, 2010, the national office stated, with black unemployment numbers nearly double that of whites- the statistics undoubtedly shows the recent economic recession are impacting minorities much worse than the rest of the nation. "These are tough times in America and they require a powerful and immediate response," said Marc H. Morial, National Urban League president and CEO. "The government has bailed out Wall Street. It's time to act swiftly and do something for Main Street, which includes a strong focused jobs plan," he said. "There can be no true economic recovery in this country without addressing the dire jobs situation in urban America. The NUL proposes its "Plan for Creating Jobs" as a solution to the jobs crisis in urban communities. The plan is described as a comprehensive six-point strategy to make a direct investment of 168 billion dollars over two years to address the most urgent needs of American families in economic crisis by investing in direct job creation, job training for the chronically unemployed, greater access to credit for small businesses and additional counseling relief for those caught in the backlog of the foreclosure process. Before the Urban League closed its doors in Syracuse members such as Julia Burnetta, a housing locator for the chapter devoted meaningful time and effort assisting those receiving public assistance with finding decent places to stay. The plan also suggests tax incentives for clean energy equipment manufacturers who employ individuals in the targeted communities. The National office noted that, more specifically the six point's call for: direct funding for job creation, expansion of the Small Business Administration's Community Express Loan Program, creation of green empowerment zones, expansion of house counselors nationwide, expansion of the Youth Summer Jobs Program and the creation of 100 urban job academies. Almost 16 years after heading Syracuse's local chapter and nearly 10 years after its dissolution, Littlejohn has continued to perform the core tenants of the League in areas that included, economic development, housing education, health initiatives and employment among African Americans living in the Syracuse region who are in need. Because of Littlejohn's on-going commitment to the social and economic improvement and development of African Americans and the communities they live in; she was chosen for the 2010 Freedom Award that was presented by the Syracuse/Onondaga County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which also recognized her work as a facilitator for the Community Wide Dialogue to End Racism. The
Freedom Award is the organization's top honor for community activism. During the
ceremony Littlejohn was noted for her public services dating back to 1992 when
she launched an HIV program with Syracuse's Urban League to educate teens. "When
the Urban League was in Syracuse it did wonderful things and it was a critical
part of the community," she said. "There are so much people that took
up the banner in so many ways. Syracuse's Urban League exists in spirit in so
many residents of the city. |
What
happened to Syracuse's Urban League? The "outright" answer to the question
is still a mystery. Despite, the chapter has closed its doors, Melanie Littlejohn
-its Interim President from 1991-1994 argues that, the organization is still active
through the continuous work of its members. "The Urban League is all about
advocacy," Littlejohn said. "The work the local chapter has done will
continue through advocacy."