Chicago Urban League Sets New Plan Ahead Of 100th Anniversary

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Urban League set a 10-year plan to "dismantle structural racism" in their path to racial equality.

The plan was set as the league enters its second centennial, with Chicago Urban League marking its 100th anniversary this year.

"For African Americans, structural racism has long been the barrier standing in the way of equitable opportunity," said The Chicago Urban League in statement. "To promote a just and fair society, we must actively work to undo structural racism and remove the obstacles to opportunity put in place through our inequitable system."

The Chicago Urban League said they are committed to advancing racial equity in the city of Chicago, WBBM's Steve Miller reports. In continuing this process, they will work with partners and focus on 19 poor, mostly black communities on the city's South and West sides.

The Chicago Urban League works with the core belief that education, employment and economic development are "crucial to both individual well being and the creation of strong, stable communities."

The first issue is education, the foundation to future success. The Chicago Urban League will work to better schools in African America communities.

In Chicago, more than 17 percent of African Americans dropped out of high school, compared to 5-and-a-half percent of whites. The goal is to increase African America youth high school graduation rates by 15 percent.

The second issue is employment, the foundation for financial security and poverty reduction. The goal is to increase African American youth employment rates by 30 percent and adult employment rates by 20 percent.

"We will see young people working," Chicago Urban League Vice President Stephanie Schmitz Bechteler said. "We will see a movement towards full employment for older adults and those that have been disconnected from the jobs market for a very long time."

Bechteler said more than 24 percent of African Americans in Chicago are unemployed.

The third issue is economic development, the foundation for financial asset building and wealth gap reduction. The goal is to increase African America business ownership rates by 5 percent and home ownership rates by 10 percent.

Although this plan focuses primarily on the causes of inequality, rather than symptoms, The Chicago Urban League knows that the symptoms of gun and violence are taking an increasing toll on African American communities in Chicago. The Chicago Urban League plans to also tackle gun trafficking and gun violence in the city, by partnering with others to better the safety, health and well being of many Chicago neighborhoods.