2009 Economic Empowerment Tour Kicks Off in Dallas

 Contact:
Martine Charles, 206-295-9114, martine@teamelevation.com
Katrina Florence, 310-995-3619 , katrina@teamelevation.com

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE OFFERS HELP TO THOSE HARDEST
HIT BY ECONOMY WITH ONE-STOP, EMPLOYMENT AND HOME
FORECLOSURE PREVENTION EVENTS NATIONWIDE

2009 Economic Empowerment Tour Kicks Off in Dallas, Features Career
Fairs and Restore Our Homes: Housing Rescue Fairs to Address Growing
U.S. Foreclosure Rate and High Underlying Job Crisis
in Multicultural Communities

New York, NY, June 4, 2009…With over one million multicultural homeowners at risk and
unemployment rate among Africans American spiraling at 14.4%, the National Urban League
is addressing the crisis with an initiative targeted to help job seekers and homeowners in
danger of foreclosure. The 2009 Economic Empowerment Tour featuring Career Fairs and
Restore Our Homes: Housing Rescue Fairs will create free, one-stop, employment and home
foreclosure prevention events, which provide free, immediate and on-site access to HUD
certified housing counselors, lenders, servicers and legal services to help families save their
homes coupled with a comprehensive job fair featuring employers, recruiters, career
coaching, professional development and crisis budgeting workshops.

The National Urban League will launch its 2009 Economic Empowerment Tour in Dallas, TX
on June 13 at the Dallas Convention Center. Co-hosted by the Urban League of Greater
Dallas and North Central Texas during “Home Ownership Month”, the event is expected to
draw nearly 3,000 attendees.

“Economic equality gaps existed long before this crisis, and now, multicultural communities
are among the hardest hit by the loss of jobs and homes,” said Marc H. Morial, President and
CEO, National Urban League. “The Economic Empowerment Tour events will give families
the necessary resources and information that may help them save a home or secure a job
during these challenging times.

In April of 2009, The U.S. Department of Labor reported the unemployment rate among
Blacks soared to14.4 percent, compared to 7.8 percent for whites and 10.9 percent for Latinos
In the first four months of 2009 alone, over 804,000 homeowners received foreclosure-related
notices, with African Americans and other communities of color disproportionately represented
among those exposed to the discriminatory practices that resulted in higher rates of subprime
lending and unnecessary risk. According to federal data, even when income and credit risk
are equal, African Americans are up to 34 percent more likely to receive higher rate and
subprime loans with a prepayment penalty than are their similarly situated white counterparts.
The home foreclosure prevention component of the Economic Empowerment Tour is part of a
national partnership of non-profit, community-based organizations whose programs serve
multicultural communities nationwide. The National Urban League, the National Council of La
Raza (NCLR) and the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
(National CAPACD) created the Alliance for Stabilizing our Communities, with the help of
Bank of America, to ensure financial counsel from trusted experts, one-on-one foreclosure
sessions and workshops including, “Foreclosure 101, The President’s Making Homes
Affordable Plan, Crisis Budgeting and How to Avoid Loan Fraud” are central elements of each
home retention event.

Each Economic Empowerment Tour event will offer up to eight hours of expert assistance in
a variety of areas including, one-on-one sessions with loan specialists, needs assessment and
guidance from independent, HUD approved housing counselors and attorneys, plus
foreclosure prevention workshops and In-language assistance.

For more information about the National Urban League’s Economic Empowerment Tour, visit
www.nul.org.

About National Urban League
Established in 1910, The National Urban League is the nation's oldest and largest community-based
movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream.
Today, the National Urban League, headquartered in New York City, spearheads the non-partisan
efforts of its local affiliates. There are 102 local affiliates of the National Urban League located in 36
states and the District of Columbia providing direct services to more than 2 million people nationwide
through program, advocacy and research. The mission of the Urban League movement is to enable
African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. To achieve its
mission they employ a five point strategy, tailored to local needs that include, Education and Youth
Empowerment, Economic Empowerment, Health and Quality of Life Empowerment, Civil Engagement
and Leadership Empowerment and Civil Rights and Racial Justice Empowerment. www.nul.org.
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