ADVOCACY: Focus on Civil Rights

1917 – East St. Louis, Illinois is the scene of an infamous deadly race riot.  Black workers and migrants were attacked when brought in to cross union picket lines. As a result, the Urban League of St. Louis was established.  

1922 - Urban League operates a school for disabled black children.  A free dental clinic is established.  The Urban League becomes a social service agency with a civil rights commitment and earns membership into the Community Fund (later to become the United Way).

1932 – Federation of Block Units created to unify neighborhoods, stabilize housing stock and provide services for incoming black citizens to the city.  

1937 – Homer G. Phillips Hospital opens.   The Urban League supported a bond issue to create Homer G. Phillips Hospital for blacks and processes 16,000 job applications.

 1951 - An unprecedented increase occurs in the black population in St. Louis – 109,000 in 1940 to 154,000 in 1950.  The organization advocates a community-wide program to meet the overwhelming problems for African Americans (substandard housing, unemployment, and inadequate health and welfare services).

1954 - Efforts to end discrimination in city parks and playgrounds were successful.  A new policy was adopted ending non-discrimination in services provided by social welfare agencies and the federal courts struck down racial discrimination in city swimming pools. 

1963- The banking industry in St. Louis routinely denies employment in white-collar positions to African-Americans.  Demonstrations against Jefferson Bank protest the organizations highly visible racist attitude to segregate its work force. 

1986 - The Urban League Guild of Metropolitan St. Louis is  established for women to volunteer their support and promotion of Urban League’s community efforts.

1999 – The Urban League Young Professionals established a St. Louis chapter to support and promote the mission and vision of the local affiliate. 

2006 – National Urban League meets with Federal Officials and successfully advocated  the 25 year extension to the 1964 Voters Rights Act.