President's Message
When I arrived in Miami in 1963, I found a small, but dedicated staff of three people, very few services, and a community in tremendous need. Less than 10 years later, we were the largest not-for-profit agency in Liberty City, with 476 full-time staff, 35 part-time people and four consultants. Back then, I was the youngest president in the history of the Urban League. Today, I’m the oldest.
So much has changed in the community we serve, but the fundamental requirements of building a strong community have not: decent housing, educational opportunity, economic progress and strong families. We set out in 1963 with a goal that continues to ground the organization today: the notion that every child deserves to grow up to be happy, healthy and successful. That is our goal for the children of Liberty City.
To achieve it requires more than just the volunteers, staff and program consultants to the Urban League. It requires the community to seize its destiny as well. Thriving children require involved and engaged parents, who accept responsibility for the welfare of their children, and who take an interest in their education. I believe that at the end of the day, it’s not the size of the class that matters, or the economic background of the students. It’s the commitment of the parents and their ability to send their children to school nourished and ready to learn. It’s the stability of a home where a mother — and hopefully, a father — take a daily interest in their children. And it’s a family structure that encourages children to have respect for their parents, their teachers, and themselves.
The Urban League of Greater Miami has pushed forward on other fronts. We have become one of the largest providers of clean, affordable and sustainable housing in Miami, providing hundreds of units of rental housing in and around Liberty City. We have empowered members of the community to take charge of their finances, and to pursue the dream of home ownership. We have tackled the scourge of black-on-black crime, and implemented programs to give young people a path to success that leads them away from crime, drugs, teenage pregnancy and despair. And we have done it, always believing that the most powerful influence on the community is not us — it is members of the community standing up, taking charge, and doing for themselves.
Here’s to the League’s next 65 years.