The Central Florida Urban League is mourning the loss of Vernon Jordan, former President of the National Urban League.

It was under the leadership of Jordan that the Metropolitan Orlando Urban League was chartered as an affiliate of the National Urban League on May 28, 1978. His leadership paved the way for our organization’s empowerment efforts which has uplifted more than 50,000 individuals in our community over the past 40 years.

“As an African American man, you did not have to know or work with Vernon Jordan to have benefitted from his impact on our community,” said Glenton Gilzean Jr., President and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League. “His efforts were on behalf of the National Urban League, as a field director for the NAACP, Executive Director of the United Negro College Fund and as a practicing lawyer helped deliver equality and justice for all.”