Newsday, Hofstra, Touro, are Among Those to be Honored for Equity

Urban League of Long Island(ULLI) has had its finger on the pulse of Black Long Island since 1972, with a mission to enable African Americans and other disenfranchised people to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. To further that mission, ULLI will host the 45th Annual Equal Opportunity Day Benefit and Awards on Thursday, February 27th at the Garden City Hotel, located at 45 Seventh Street in Garden City. The event begins at 5:30 pm.

Equal Opportunity Day (EOD) attracts hundreds of attendees and thousands of viewers via print and social media networks. EOD recognizes businesses and individuals that provide opportunities for underrepresented groups to be included in America's mainstream. This year’s recipients include Hofstra University for its work via the Center for Suburban Studies that conducted equity research; Brookhaven National Laboratory for the positive economic impact created by the pending construction of a collider, the of its kind in the U.S. Additionally, EOD recognizes BNL’s Dr. Vanessa A. Sanders, Assistant Scientist in the Collider-Accelerator Department and the first African American woman in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D. in the field of radiochemistry and her work in a cutting-edge area of radiochemistry research known as “theragnostics.”

Touro College will receive an Equity Award for their partnership with ULLI where they serve as a host site for the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program providing job training and mentoring for the past several years, for low income youth 14-21 years old; Minority Millennials for being the leading advocate for equitable treatment for the next generation of leaders and Newsday, for uncovering discriminatory practices toward potential homebuyers by realtors. Newsday’s 3-year long investigation culminated in an explosive report titled, Long Island Divided. As a result of Newsday’s report, New York’s Attorney General, Latisha James, has opened her own investigation into the possible violations of the Fair Housing Act, and Theresa Sanders, President and CEO of Urban League of Long Island, gave testimony to the New York State Senate – through the Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development, the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, and Committee on Consumer Protection.

Tickets for the event are still available and may be purchased on the Urban League of Long Island website at www.urbanleaguelongisland.org. Sponsorships are also still available.