- Represents First Time a Kentucky Governor Named as Recipient -

For the first time ever, the Louisville Urban League is bestowing its highest honor--the Arthur M. Walters “Champion of Diversity Award”--to a Kentucky governor. Governor Steve Beshear is being recognized for his role in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Kentucky and its positive impact on African Americans in need. The Governor will formally receive the award at the Louisville Urban League’s annual Diversity Soirée and Awards Gala on Friday, May 16, at the Galt House Hotel and Suites, in the Grand Ballroom.    

“Governor Beshear provided the leadership that resulted in the successful signup of thousands of Kentuckians to receive much-needed health care offered through the Affordable Care Act,” said Ben Richmond, president of Louisville Urban League. “Those Kentuckians—many of them impoverished African Americans—will no longer have to choose, as the Governor has aptly pointed out, between food and medicine for themselves and family members.” 

The prestigious award being received by Governor Beshear is named in honor of Arthur M. Walters, who served as Executive Director of the Louisville Urban League from 1970 to 1987 and was also an early civil rights activist.

For more information on the Diversity Soiree and Awards Gala or to order tickets click here.

George "G.G." Johnson passed away on March 29, 2014 after an extended illness. George was an instructor for the Urban Youth Golf Program (UYGP) and served on the UYGP Advisory Board since the program began in 1998. George loved working with youth and parents, teaching them the game he loved so much. In 1999 the Urban Youth Golf Program started a scholarship fund for graduating program youth and named it in his honor. Over the past 14 years, the George "G.G." Johnson Scholarship Golf Scramble raised nearly $140,000 and awarded 32 scholarships to UYGP youth graduating high school. George also served on the Board of The First Tee of Louisville since its formation in 2005. George was loved and will be missed by the entire community. 

The Louisville Urban League presented the inaugural class of the Urban Leadership Alliance Seminar (ULAS) at its Annual Report Luncheon on December 6, 2013.  The Urban Leadership Alliance Seminar (ULAS) is specifically designed as a vehicle through which African American men exhibiting high potential as future leaders are coached, educated and prepared for higher levels of leadership and responsibility within their respective companies.

Through ULAS participants accelerate their career paths ultimately increasing the number of African American men in upper level positions within the Louisville community. Launched as a pilot in March 2013, ULAS is a 9 month seminar with each session divided into three core areas: Self-awareness, Leadership Skill Development and Tactical Skill Application. Under a contract with the Louisville Urban League, ULAS is powered by SOAR a subsidiary of the PEER Exchange Network, LLC.

The inaugural class consisted of 15 participants representing 11 Louisville-based companies.

- New Employment Initiative Focuses on Improverished Areas -

The Louisville Urban League (LUL) honored the first graduates of a new, innovative, workforce development initiative called, ICANBE (Individual Career Advancement Now! Be Empowered) on June 13, 2013.  ICANBE is a pilot program designed to raise employment levels and increase economic stability in the most impoverished neighborhoods in Louisville and prepare residents for available jobs with local employers.  UPS serves as the lead partner.  Other partner companies will be announced as they are confirmed. 

The most impoverished neighborhoods in the Louisville Metro area are within the 40203, 40210, 40211 and 40212 zip codes.  In addition to high poverty rates, neighborhoods in these zip codes have high crime rates, lower educational attainment levels, and higher unemployment and under employment than other areas in the community.  Employment data for these four zip codes show that 22.8% (7,128 persons) of the residents in the labor force are unemployed.  At the same time, there are hundreds of job openings in the logistics industry locally and many more when you include other industries such as retail.  For this reason, the Louisville Urban League created the ICANBE program to primarily target these four zip codes to outreach, recruit, screen, and train a large number of residents for available jobs.