Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, joined the organization that he now leads on his 16th birthday. This year, the St. Louis Urban League – frequently recognized as the nation’s flagship affiliate – celebrates 100 years of empowering the African-American community, now with 30 different programs at 13 locations.
McMillan’s personal favorite moment in the Urban League’s history happened just this past July 26, a sweltering summer day where hundreds came out to cheer the ribbon cutting of the Ferguson Community Empowerment Center. It’s a job training center built on the site of the burned-down QuikTrip convenience store, which was destroyed during the unrest following Michael Brown’s shooting death by then-Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in 2014.
July 26 was also McMillan’s birthday and the first day of the annual National Urban League Conference, which was being hosted in St. Louis – and became the largest convention in the national organization’s history.
“That literally being the 30th anniversary of me being a member of the Urban League,” McMillan said. “For that to be the first building that we ever constructed from the ground up and also to become the largest and most successful Urban League convention out of 107 that took place – that made it bigger than New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, D.C., Baltimore – was truly an honor and something that I’ll never forget.”
In 2004, when James H. Buford was president of the local affiliate, St. Louis became the first Urban League affiliate to receive a five-star rating, and the affiliate has maintained that rating ever since. It is the nation’s highest-ranked affiliate, serving the most people.
“We are truly grateful to the St. Louis community for all the tremendous support that we’ve received over the past century, in the form of all the governmental grants that we have from the city, state and federal governments, along with our corporate support,” McMillan said.
“We have literally helped millions of people within that 100-year span – because last year alone, we made it to our goal of serving 100,000 people throughout St. Louis city, St. Louis County, East St. Louis and St. Clair County.”
Founded in 1918 under the leadership of George W. Buckner, the St. Louis Urban League began as a civil rights organization and evolved to center around community services, such as economic empowerment and providing basic family needs.
“I think if you look at the organization 100 years ago,” McMillan said, “and within any given period in that time frame and today, the number one thing that we have done for individuals has been to be a pathway to employment, to provide jobs and economic stability.”
Many people often say that they got their first jobs from the Urban League, he said.
“We were the bridge to employment and self-sufficiency for the African-American middle class, more so than any other organization across the country,” McMillan said. “Today, African Americans still have two to three times the average unemployment rate of the overall society in almost every major metropolitan area across the country.”
This is why employment is still a major focus for the organization, and why the St. Louis Urban League created the Save Our Sons program and provides employment services throughout the metropolitan area.
“Much has changed in the area of race relations, but obviously much more has to be done to try to make sure the African-American community and those in need overall have the resources they need to have an equal chance at life, in the form of education, health care, job training and everything else,” McMillan said.
The Urban League also has used its platform to shed light on civil-rights issues that have come out following the Ferguson unrest and protests of the Jason Stockley not-guilty verdict, he said.
However, in today’s political climate, it’s a fight to maintain existing programs, let alone further advance the cause of justice.
“We live in a constant state of challenge in terms of the attack on programs that provide the social safety net for individuals from a governmental standpoint,” McMillan said. “Constant bills that are aimed at cutting funding for programs and taking away opportunities for the most vulnerable.”
Said Keith Williamson, board chair for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and VP and general counsel at Centene, “It’s an honor to chair the Urban League’s Board during this historic year. We have a tremendous CEO in Michael McMillan. He and his staff are doing great things for our community.”
The organization will celebrate its 100-year anniversary by hosting events throughout the year. The first was held on January 12 with its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial at Saint Louis University. The university (McMillan’s alma mater) is celebrating its 200-year anniversary this year.
The Urban League will host its Centennial Gala on March 24 at 7 p.m. at the Marriott St. Louis Hotel. Academy Award Winner Viola Davis will serve as keynote speaker for event followed by a concert by Eric Benét.
“We are especially excited to celebrate the Urban League’s Centennial with a black-tie gala,” said McMillan. “Each year the league serves 100,000 residents in the areas of community empowerment, economic opportunity, educational excellence, civil rights and advocacy throughout the St. Louis metropolitan region with 13 locations and a $21 million budget. We also would like to highlight the agency’s historical value and contributions to the community-at-large.”
For more information about the Urban League’s anniversary events, visit https://www.ulstl.com. Tickets for the gala start at $250; call 314-615-3668.
