2013 ANNUAL REPORT
MESSAGE FROM / J. HOWARD HENDERSON
PRESIDENT/CEO
Ninety Years of service to the community the Greater Baltimore
Urban League continue to advocate for the residents through
various initiatives, the leadership of the League serves on boards,
commissions, task forces and provides testimony in support of
the Baltimore community. Some of the issue areas regarding this
advocacy include transportation, healthcare, housing, education
and economic development.
The League 90years later still serves as a beacon of hope for
those who are most in need. The work of the League would not
be as successful without the assistance of its two auxiliaries; the
the Young Professionals.
The League was organized in December 1924; its earliest roots go
back to the 1919 Hague Conference on World Friendship which
was the first volunteer gathering of representatives from the
warring nations after World War 1. Inspired by this meeting,
Rev. Peter Ainslie, an outstanding Baltimore clergyman,
returned home and organized an interracial Conference
improve racial attitudes and conditions in
health and welfare.
Convinced that equality was still a distance away in 1922
Reverend Ainslie and John R. Caret, founder and chairman of
the Board of Directors for provident Saving Bank, Contacted the
research Director for the National Urban League and the
President of Fisk University Dr. Charles S. Johnson to do an
extensive survey of the dilemma of the Negro workers in the
Baltimore Industry. The survey exposed that the black
community needed improved health facilities, schools, jobs,
and housing. The end result was the founding of the Baltimore
Urban League in 1924.
One of the first of many endeavors of the League was attempting
to help save Victory hospital, one of the few Baltimore hospitals
which treated non-white and allowed black physicians and
nurses on staff. The support from the medical and civil rights
leaders throughout Baltimore was a major turning point for the
League. By’s the 1930’s the League was getting the attention and
funding it needed to sustain its operations.
One of the Leagues’ main concerns has always been in job
security and readiness, opening doors for non-white to increase
economic opportunity. In 1933 the League was instrumental in
getting six Black case workers appointed to the Baltimore
emergency Relief Commission. In 1939, after two years of
negotiations, the Local #544 International Brotherhood of
Carpenters and Joiners which the Baltimore Urban League help
to organized was able to become an affiliate of the AFL Trade
Union.
In 1947 the League took a milestone leap and was at the forefront
of integrating the Baltimore City Fire Department. The League
conducted a training course for more then 30 men to find
qualified applicants for jobs with the fire department. Out of
these candidates fourteen passed the examination and were hired
as firemen. During that same year the League’s Education
Department place pressure on the University of Maryland
regarding their admission policies.
After meeting with the University’s President and Board of
Regents the University issued a statement that all college
applications would be considered on the bas
An additional “first” took place in 1949 when John C. Catlin
became the first Black Man in the history of Maryland to obtain a
Baltimore Journeyman’s license. Mr. Catlin was President of the
Plumbers Association which had been structured with the help of
the Urban League.
As time went on the league started to recognize in the midst of
opening the doors to equality for jobs the fight still goes on after
a person receives qualified training. This prompted the League to
help Black doctors in getting admitted to the Baltimore Medical
Society. This landmark decision opened opportunities for eighty
Black Doctors in view of the fact that membership into the
American Medical Association was dependent upon membership
in a local health organization.
By the 1950’s under the leadership of Furman Templeton, the
League had established itself as a lead organization with State
and Federal governments. Throughout the next years the League
would form partnerships with organization such as the Planned
parenthood Association of Maryland, the Census Bureau, and the
Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training All asking the League for
its expertise.
With the arrival of the 70’s the League viewed itself as an
organization which continual rallied to the needs of the average
citizen. As the city’s Black population grew to over 50 percent,
the Baltimore Urban League stressed the need to expand social
services to accommodate the needs of its constituents. Under the
leadership of Executive Director Travis Vauls, the agency was
first certified as a HUD Homeownership Counseling agency and
made inroads in securing career opportunities inthe media in
conjunction with the Broadcast Skills Bank program.
In response to the 1986 Black Needs Assessment Project and in
collaboration with the Morgan State University Institute for
Urban Research and the Health and Welfare Council of Central
Maryland, the League produce a publication titled “Action for An
Empowered Community”. this publication based on research and
discussion on the following issues : the black family, education,
housing, crime and health access provide the guidance for the
League in address these issues. Most noteworthy
accomplishments during the 90’s included new programs such as
the Black Family Resource Center, the Young Father
Responsible Fathers Program, the Youth Division Project, and
the Information Processing Training Center.
The Greater Baltimore Urban League continues to focus on job
training, job readiness and placement. Youth development
programs such as the Freedom Readers program for middle
school students in the early 2000. As we began to Reclaim our
Vision from the past and apply this vision to the future, we must
never forget that the gains of the past were built on a solid
foundation of Education. That is why we are committee to
uplifting our young people though our Saturday Leadership
Program which was establish in 2013
THE PROGRAMS
THE BALTIMORE COLLEGE ACCESS CONSORTIUM
Continuing our legacy as a cross-sector convener of organizations pursuing a shared purpose, the
Greater Baltimore Urban League co-leads the Baltimore College Access Consortium with Baltimore
City Public Schools. The consortium convenes and coordinates working groups staffed by education
experts providing collective support for City Schools’ college access and career readiness initiatives.
The issues selected and solutions adopted are both pragmatic and cost effective. The consortium
includes 15 organizations, with representatives from City Schools, local colleges and universities, and
college and career readiness providers. Workgroup activities include:
FAFSA Completion: This workgroup plans and implements a variety of activities, from twitter
office hours to in-person one-on-one guidance, to assist parents in completing the FAFSA application
process.
PSAT/SAT Posting: This workgroup identifies and addresses barriers to participation in college
entrance exams, then develops and staffs organized efforts to increase the percentage of City
Schools’ students sitting for the PSAT and SAT exams.
Summer Melt: This workgroup expands last year’s pilot program to increase the number of
students who enroll in college after being accepted. The gap between accepted and enrolled college
students is known as summer melt. Last summer’s pilot reduced summer melt by 7% by using text
messages with college-specific guidance. This summer, the workgroup will add in-person hours by
volunteers from workgroup organizations.
College and Career Readiness: This workgroup adapts and augments existing college and
career readiness activities in order to pilot and bring them to scale in City Schools.
Participating Organizations
Baltimore City Public Schools
Maryland Business Roundtable (MBRT)
Baltimore City Community College (Financial Aid)
Maryland Educational Opportunity Center (MEOC)
Baltimore County Community College (Financial Aid)
Maryland Higher Education Commission
CollegeBound Foundation
Morgan State University (Financial Aid)
Coppin State University (Admissions)
Talent Search—Baltimore City Community College
Corporation for National Service
Greater Baltimore Urban League
Upward Bound—Baltimore City Community College
Upward Bound—Morgan State University
Urban Alliance
THE SATURDAY LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
The spring of 2013 was a very eventful one for the Greater Baltimore Urban League. We had just
finished a tutoring program whose results confirmed what had been indicated by programs across the
country: that showing students pathways to success and building their personal and professional
aspirations was an essential part of long-term academic and professional gains. Widespread support
for the Baltimore College Access Consortium also demonstrated to us that collective impact is not out
of our reach. So we put what we learned to good use, and began to create a new kind of college
access and career readiness program—a collaboration that would reach across the public and private
sectors and connect students from across the city in an evidence-based leadership development
curriculum.
We called dozens of nonprofits, schools, and churches for help recruiting and planning for the first
sessions, getting in touch with old contacts and making new friends along the way. Many organizations
recruited SLP students from among their own, and BCPS offered to help us track their academic
performance. Then we approached local colleges and universities to request classroom space and
tours. Not only did they welcome SLP, they engaged wholeheartedly, providing us with upbeat and
welcoming speakers, complimentary meals, and state-of-the-art classroom space.
After SLP’s launch, eighty-four youth experienced a series of workshops that presented the importance
of leadership qualities and higher education through the lens of African-American history. Social and
civic engagement, health literacy, and financial responsibility were placed in the context of Baltimore’s
history, studying pioneering African- Americans, almost entirely Baltimoreans, as our role models.
GBUL Young Professionals shared with us their stories of how they achieved professional success
through higher education, and the influence their aspirations had on their lives. We also took our
perspective into the present, where our students discussed the challenges they and their communities
face, and what they can do to address these challenges. And we applied this to our futures, as we
explored university campuses and financial aid options, as we shaped our hopes into unmistakable
aspirations.
Now we look forward to a summer of student-designed public service projects and field trips to local
museums. Next year will mark the beginning of SLP’s new 5-year curriculum, whose students will be
led by GBUL Young Professionals and returning SLP graduates. The Saturday Leadership Program
and projects like it show us that success relies on aspirations, and that open opportunities and new
perspectives can put Baltimore’s most vulnerable youth on the path to college and careers.
CONTINUING THE LEGACY IN AVIATION
held at Southwest’s Dallas headquarters. They were
given a tour of Southwest’s headquarters, visited the
Dallas Air and Space Museum, and tried their hand at
Southwest’s multi-million dollar flight simulators. A
special opportunity became the experience of a
lifetime when they were joined by two Tuskegee
Airmen. Mervyn was thrilled to meet them and witness
the cutting edge of aviation technology:
Congratulations to Mervyn Crawford, a NSBE
scholar who was accepted to attend Southwest
Airlines’ Continuing the Legacy in Aviation!
Continuing the Legacy is an annual event in
which eleven students, selected by the strength
of their written essays, are given an all-expense
paid, two-day introduction to aviation
“Thank you for allowing me to go to this program and
giving me all of this useful information. I had lots of fun
at this camp. I went to the maintenance facility which
was very interesting to me. That is where they repair
the planes. The tour was unique and fun. I also went to
the Frontiers of Flight Museum. I got to see a lot of
cool old fashioned planes, helicopters, and modern
day jets. I had some experience learning how to
launch and land an airplane in a flight simulator. Flight
simulators are big million dollar machines that take you
on an adventure to fly. This has impacted my life a lot.
I saw a lot of cool
wonderful things, and learned a lot about my history.”
GBUL would like to thank Southwest Airlines for
opening up the world of Aviation to Mervyn Crawford
and students all over the country.
PROGRESS IN EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS
Progress in Education is a charitable organization incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our
goal is to help bring much needed financial and educational resources to beleaguered secondary
schools in Ghana, and to promote cross-cultural understanding amongst students in the USA and
Ghana. The resources we provide assist in improving the quality of education for students, and allow
them to effectively interact with their international counterparts. In the USA, PIE provides scholarships
to local students and facilitates exchange programs between the United States and Ghana. Today,
PIE’s leadership and planning committees consist of alumni of secondary schools all over Ghana, as
well as non-Ghanaians who care about education. We are able to accomplish our goals due to the
partnership of our donors and organizations such as the Urban League. Together, we can achieve
progress in education. For more information, visit our websitewww.progressineducation.org
Imani Adrea was born on October 19, 1994, in Baltimore,
MD. At the age of 6 years old, she began telling African folktales and
stories in Baltimore as a member of the Growing Griot Literacy
Learning Program. Throughout her life, she has been involved in
several extracurricular activities including Toast Masters, where she
continued to hone her public speaking skills. When she was in the
sixth grade, her guidance counselor for Leaders of America
recommended her to a special program at Johns Hopkins University
to study law over the summer. However, the program that influenced
Imani the most was Leaders of Tomorrow, in which Imani was the VP
of Sales and Development and Chief Informational Officer. She also
competed in many competitions. In 2012, she won first place in the
oratorical competition at Howard University
Imani is currently a sophomore at Frostburg State University, as a Mass Communications major and
with a minor in Leadership. It is her dream to become a motivational speaker, aiming to raise the
confidence in young girls and women. She then hopes to open her own foundation to strengthen
confidence and encourage more females to become entrepreneurs. Recently, she competed in the
African Student Association pageant and became Ms. ASA, the face of the organization around
campus. These days, Imani devotes her time to her job, performing poetry, community service,
reading new books/strengthening her mind, and spreading African culture throughout the Frostburg
campus.
Nico Moore was born in Baltimore, MD in 1995. He attended
Baltimore City Public Schools and graduated from Cristo Rey Jesuit
High School in the spring of 2013. He is currently attending St.
Mary’s College of Maryland. Nico was a leader in his class at Cristo
Rey serving in SGA and Peer Ministry. He worked three years with
the school’s urban gardening club. He also volunteered at a
senior center as a freshman and sophomore, while finding time to
work with his church’s youth group, the media ministry and as an
usher. In his junior year Nico wrote: “I really want to push myself; do
things that are different and exciting. I want to travel because I feel
you learn most when you are in unfamiliar situations”. His
high school college counselor wrote: “Nico holds to ambitions in
seeming tension: toleave Baltimore (his comfort zone) to soak up new cultures and experiences, and
alsoimprove his community”.Nico is currently the Class of 2017 President at St. Mary’s. He is studying
Chinese, on his way to fulfilling his desireto learn about different cultures.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Leadership Development | “We Develop Me”
The name, the Greater Baltimore Leadership
Association (GBLA), was selected intentionally.
We are a mainstay for many young leaders
throughout the greater Baltimore region. Our
membership is not only active in GBLA, but also
hold leadership positions in other local and national
organizations. We pride ourselves on the
continuous support of our members and the
development of their leadership abilities. They are
truly pillars in the community. We strive to make
programming that isinclusive and beneficial to all
our members.
GBLA serves as a hub for leaders and provides them with a starting point for their
impact. It is within our mission to develop leaders through their experiences in GBLA
to springboard them into prominent leadership positions in other organizations. This
year, GBLA had over 12 programs focused on leadership development
and training, some of which are highlighted below. We impacted 2,200 Baltimore
residents with our programming. Representation on the Maryland Radiation Control
Advisory Board also guided legislation
and regulation over the state of Maryland. We have dedicated volunteer time towards
programs focused on honing our leaders. Organizational collaborations were another
area for leadership growth. We partnered with 48 organizations—a 9% increase from
2011-2012.
We also encouraged members to seek leadership opportunities in other organizations, accounting for a leadership
presence in over 20 external entities, including boards/ organizations/ committees such as: NULYP Awards
Selection Committee; NULYP Global Corps Delegation; African Continuum Theatre Company; College Girl,
Inc.; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; Inman Page Black Alumni Council of Brown University; Maryland-DC
Audubon Society; Maryland State Radiation Control Advisory Board; National Youth Cheer and Football
League; Society of Human Resource Management; Toastmasters International;Western High School Alumnae
Association; and Urban Alliance
GREATER BALTIMORE URBAN LEAGUE GUILD
The Greater Baltimore Urban League Guild is the volunteer auxiliary to the Greater
Baltimore Urban League. Guild members donate their time to deliver services that
extend public understanding and support of the National Urban League and its
programs. Guilders participate in fundraising; and help to develop the leadership skills
of ordinary individuals and engage them in local community issues. Typical Guild
activities include serving as staff for major Urban League fundraising events, such as the
annual Equal Opportunity Awards Day Dinner and Annual Conference, working as
mentors and tutors, and assisting with projects as needed by local Urban League
affiliates. Guilders range in age from 41 or older and are active in more than 85
chapters in Urban League communities across the nation. Considered the heart and soul
of the Urban League movement, Guilders contribute thousands of volunteer hours
annually and play a pivotal role in connecting the Urban League to communities.
THE GROWING GRIOTS LITERACY LEARNING PROGRAM
THE GROWING GRIOTS LITERACY LEARNING PROGRAM (GGLLP) is cosponsored by the Greater Baltimore Urban League (GBUL), Enoch Pratt Free Library
(EPFL), National Great Blacks In Wax Museum (NGBIWM), and the Chesapeake
Employers’ Insurance Company (CEIC) in conjunction with the Griots’ Circle of Maryland
Inc. (GCM). The Growing Griots have been formed since 1998.
Support from GBUL enables this 25-week Afrocentric family literacy program to provide
6th thru 11th grade students an opportunity to upgrade and enhance their reading, writing,
listening, public speaking, and critical thinking skills, in an environment that supports the
Baltimore City Public Schools schedule by providing 75 hours of after school instruction
and independent study using the African Oral Tradition as a foundation for learning.
The program offers four opportunities for enrolled students: Basic Skills Development,
Cultural Enrichment, and Leadership Development, and student participants earn all the
Learning Service Hours needed forgraduation from High School! The GGLLP staff is S.
Bunjo Butler, Director (EPFL); Deborah Pierce Fakunle (NGBIWM); Janet Jones
(CEIC); Janice Curtis Greene (GCM); David Fakunle (GCM); William Starke (GCM); Gail
Harrison (GCM) Gale Moore (GCM) and Karen Abdul Malik (GCM).
Participants:
The Gr
S. Bunjo Butler
Cheyanne Love
Mikellen Dunn
Isaiah Elliott
Issata Fofana
William Starke
Deborah Pierce Fakunle
Steve Chin
Michael Dunn
Dayon Hines
Tashauna Cole
Gail Harrison
Janet Jones
David Fakunle
Cynthia Kenol
Mariah Grier
Jayla Elliott
Gale Moore
Janice Curtis Greene
Karen Abdul Malik
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2013
STAFF
J. Howard Henderson
President/CEO
Estelle Young, Ph. D.
Director of New Initiatives/
College Access
Carol Jefferson
Director of Youth Programs
Ashley Lowe
Stephanie Allen
Jared Boze
Sam Briskin
College Access and Completion
Executive Support
IT Support
Resource Development
Terrance Wheeler
Youth Programs
Barbra Redman
Volunteer Support
Desiree Robinson
Executive Support
Celeste Knight
Community Engagement
Director
MEMBERS
Clarence Campbell
Wells Fargo, District
Manager
Northern Central
Maryland
7 ST. Paul Street, 2nd
Floor, R1230-021
Baltimore, MD 21202
Barbara Redman
President
GBUL Guild
3939 Lumo Circle
Randallstown, MD 21227
Michelle Gourdine
Michelle Gourdine &
Associates
PO Box 1765
Owings Mills, MD 21117
John Conwell
Comcast Cable
Whitemarsh Center
8089 Sandpiper Circle
Knottingham, MD
Arthur M. Frank
Attorney
Law Offices of Arthur M. Frank, P.A.
341 N. Calvert Street, Ste. 100
Baltimore, MD 21202
J. Howard Henderson
Greater Baltimore Urban League
512 Orchard Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Lester McCorn
Pastor
Pennsylvania Avenue AME Zion
Church
Baltimore, MD 21201
Cheron Porter
Director of Communications
Baltimore Housing Office of
Communications HABC/HCD
417 E. Fayette Street, Ste. 1339
Baltimore, MD 21202
Gavin Watson
Vice President/General Manager
Enterprise Rent A Car
701 Wedeman Avenue
Linthicum, MD 21090
Eric White
President
GBUL Young Professionals
512 Orchard Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
GREATER BALTIMORE URBAN LEAGUE
Financial Statements
Fiscal Year Ending JUNE 30, 2013
ASSETS
Checking/Savings
Accounts Receivable
Other Currents Assets
Fixed Assets
Other Assets
Total Assets
9,364.79
50,495.42
3,567.00
1,906,615.43
25,805.06
1,995,847,70
LIABILITIES & EQUITY
lisbilities
Accounts Payable
Other Current Liabilities
Long Term Liabilities
Equity
Total Liabilities & Equity
225,193.95
346,156,30
1,157,350.79
267,146.75
1,995,847.70