Following are remarks delivered at the Whitney M. Young, Jr. award dinner by Catherine P. Bessant, Bank of America Chief Marketing Officer and NC President.

Recently, the Urban League of Central Carolinas continued to celebrate twenty-five years of service to the Charlotte community at its Whitney M. Young, Jr. award dinner.
Twenty-five years is an impressive milestone. And, that’s what anniversaries are all about. They are a time of reflection on those who have gone before us, and the legacy they established. They are a time of anticipation of things yet to be accomplished. And, finally, they are a time for commitment to renew and strengthen our will act.

I consider it a special privilege to chair this 25th anniversary year. My personal ties to the organization began more than 14 years ago, and my belief in its vision and value are deep.

Over the past 25 years, the Urban League has accomplished some great work with outstanding results. We have come a long way. But what we achieve over the next 25 years is dependent upon continued support for the cause of racial inclusion and economic self-sufficiency.

The 20th Century was, and needed to be, about making the case for diversity and about convincing and inspiring our community to change.

By contrast, the 21st Century must be all about the action or the “how” of making our legacy one of inclusion, of the valuing of and respect for diversity, and of a real, legitimate, unmistakable end to racial division and injustice. In essence, this century must be about moving past talking about it and flat getting the work complete.

A starting point is taking action through membership. The Urban League is in the midst of a two-month membership drive, and we’re starting right here, right now. We’ve established a goal for new membership to commemorate our 25th Anniversary: 25 By 25 – 2,500-hundred new members to commemorate 25 years.

There are many benefits to membership. The key reasons to join the League are compelling:
· It’s a strong public statement about our belief -- individually and as a community -- in helping others help themselves.
· It’s a strong statement about our desire to be a bridge builder.
· And most important, it’s a strong statement about our moving beyond rhetoric to action.

The Urban League is an important community forum that provides us the opportunity to get serious about building bridges and accelerating the “how” of creating inclusive communities. I hope that those of you who are not currently members will step-up to join us as bridge builders for the future.

We have so very much in common upon which to build our bridges. The simple truths we share are these: we all want clean, affordable housing in safe neighborhoods; we all want the best in education so our children will be prepared for the opportunities of the future; and, we all want jobs that are of value, where we are valued and that enable us to provide for our families.

If we truly want to be bridge builders, extension of trust is the first step to the “How” of getting things done. So, it’s going to take a bit of intellectual honesty to determine which camp we fall into and if necessary, make a change.

Trust is the linchpin to whether we continue to discuss racial inclusion, or we act to make it so. There are some that say trust must be earned. I take the contrarian view. I believe it’s a choice – a personal, daily choice. We can choose to extend trust, or we can choose to shroud ourselves in suspicion. Our success at continuing and accelerating progress all has to do with whether we can become better bridge builders. And, I believe that a critical element that is absolutely necessary to building bridges within our communities is trust.

The questions we must ask ourselves, as individuals and as a group, are quite simple: How are we going to change things? Do we simply stand for something, or are we willing to act? And, how will history remember us?

The Urban League’s 25th anniversary is about celebrating those accomplishments. Yet we all know that far too many residents of our community still reside in the shadows rather than the glow of prosperity. Poverty levels and high school graduation rates for people of color continue to be disproportionate of that for whites. Today we face many greater complexities than were imagined a quarter century ago.

Whether we’re talking about jobs, homeownership, or our children’s safety and education, failure to act is unacceptable. It is my hope that we’ll leave this room tonight reaffirmed in our belief in the Urban League and in building bridges for inclusion. Reaffirmed in our focus on doing the right thing for our community. And, reaffirmed in our commitment to step up as the next generation of Charlotte leadership.

Martin Luther King said the time is always right to do the right thing. I think there’s no better time to act and no better proof of will than to support the Urban League now.

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