Mayor Stephen L. Reed said Montgomery will activate an Urban League Alabama affiliate to deliver national model resources and business‑support programs for local Black entrepreneurs.

“The Urban League is a, you know, national civil rights organization focused on economic empowerment,” Reed said, adding the affiliate will focus on “empowering entrepreneurs, small business owners, and really the entire quality of life from a business perspective for African Americans throughout the country.”

Reed told host Deer Hall that work on the affiliate has been underway for several years, noting he and national Urban League leaders discussed the initiative after a previous visit by national president Marc Morial. “I’ve been working on [this] for probably the last 4 years,” Reed said. “So we’re ready to try to activate the Urban League blueprint and national model resources for our business owners and our business‑minded people here in the city of Montgomery.”

Reed described the announcement as a step toward economic‑empowerment programming that would use the national organization’s models and resources; he did not specify program names, funding sources or start dates. Deer Hall and Reed discussed the local significance of an Urban League presence and Reed credited prior conversations with national leadership for advancing the effort.

Reed framed the affiliate as part of broader city efforts to support small businesses and neighborhood economic development. He said the city will continue work with partners to implement the Urban League model locally, but did not announce an implementation schedule or budget allocation during the conversation.

The mayor and host did not reference any formal city vote or ordinance tied to the affiliate during the podcast.