A national civil rights organization dedicated to education and workforce development is reestablishing its Mississippi office. MPB's Desare Frazier reports.
Job training and promoting healthy lifestyles are some of the programs Beneta Burt says the Mississippi Road Map to Health Equity Project has provided for 15 years. Now the Jackson organization is becoming an affiliate of the National Urban League. The Urban League, a civil rights organization, focuses on education, jobs, housing and healthcare. Beneta Burt.
"As Mississippi Urban League, we'll fold those activities into the work of the Urban League and it will continue and just that we'll add additional programs and services and then we'll expand across the state," said Burt.
Burt says they can expand projects like managing the city's golf course, which provides young people with job skills. She says there was an office in Mississippi in the 1980's but it closed. Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League, worked with Burt to reestablish the office.
"The work that's being done already is substantial, it's significant, it's making a difference and by joining the Urban League movement, we're confident that work will be enhanced and strengthened," said Morial.
Willie Jones, a business owner, chairs the new Mississippi Urban League Board. She says she's excited about the resources they will have to develop programs statewide and cultivate more entrepreneurs.
"A lot of those programs whether it's job training, there's a lot of programs around young people and leadership skills. Yes money also, when you bring those kinds of programs you've got to have an engine that goes behind it," said Jones.
Jones says they'll be reaching out to communities and looking to get churches, businesses and other groups involved.
