Urban League still making changes 47 years after its inception

the Tallahassee urban league
organization of the Year

By Maya Lune Jean-Charles

Outlook Writer

No matter how dilapidated the structure might be in the Frenchtown area, it represents something — hard history or evidence of social ill.

But Rev. Ernest Ferrell, president and CEO of the Tallahassee Urban League, said its history is worth knowing and understanding.

The Urban League was established in 1969 by its founder Benjamin Perry Jr., former president of Florida A&M University. Since its inception the Urban League has been an outlet for serving the Black community.

“Tallahassee at the time was dealing with a lot of inequities,” said Ferrell. “In education, housing, and employment; all those kinds of things you didn’t see very many Black faces in. The Urban League wanted to address those issues,” he said.

The Urban League’s unwavering push for equity will be recognized as the Capital Outlook’s Organization of The Year.

The Urban League focuses on serving the Black community with resources they may need from every end of the spectrum. Some of the programs funded by the Urban League includes black-on-black crime prevention, youth crime prevention, social responsibility and character building, housing, and victim witness services.

One of the very first programs they implemented was the health carnival where they brought health professionals into the community, and residents of the area received health services free of charge.

One of the organization’s biggest initiatives is its housing rehabilitation program, according to Curtis Taylor, who serves as vice president and director of the program. Senior citizens on fixed income are the primary beneficiaries of the program.

Connie Beard, a senior citizen, was one of the first participates in the program. The Urban League helped in finding funding for their home through a local bank and they’ve since become the poster family for the program.

“If the Beards can do it anybody can do it,” Taylor said. “You just have to have that determination and faith.”

“It just felt so good I can’t even describe,” Beard said. “It’s possible to get a home despite my age, and sometimes it’s cheaper than rent.”