Girl Scouts Partnering With National Urban League on 'I am Empowered' Campaign

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May 25, 2010, 10:00 ET

NEW YORK, May 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Girl Scouts of the USA announced today that it is joining the National Urban League's "I am Empowered" campaign, a yearlong public service initiative designed to rally millions of Americans around education, employment, housing and healthcare.

"The National Urban League and Girl Scouts have much in common," said Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Office of Girl Scouts of the USA. "Both organizations are committed to empowering people—all people, young and old—to achieve their full potential and deeply value the power of community service in making the nation and the world a better place. Girl Scouts is proud to take the 'I am Empowered' pledge and partner with the Urban League in its centennial year."

The "I am Empowered" campaign, launched on March 1, is part of the Urban League's celebration of 100 years of advocating for economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of people living in historically underserved urban communities.

The Urban League is partnering with organizations across the country and intends to have millions of Americans take the "I am Empowered" pledge. The four goals of the pledge seek to focus Americans on eliminating disparities in education, jobs, housing, and heath care by 2025.

The pledge can be signed online (http://iamempowered.com), and calls for the following:

Every American child is ready for college, work and life.
Every American has access to jobs with a living wage and good benefits.
Every American is free from barriers to having safe, decent, affordable and energy-efficient housing, on fair terms.
Every American has access to quality and affordable healthcare solutions.

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. Girl Scouts has partnered with the National Urban League in the past, and has a long history of diversity and inclusion. The first Girl Scout troop for African American girls was formed in 1917, and by the 1950s, GSUSA had begun a national effort to desegregate all Girl Scout troops. In 1956, Martin Luther King Jr. described Girl Scouts as "a force for desegregation."

SOURCE Girl Scouts of the USA