Marc Morial Addresses Las Vegas Sands Team Members During Black History Month
Originally published by Las Vegas Sands on February 28, 2022
In conjunction with Black History Month, Las Vegas Sands invited Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League (NUL) to speak with Team Members in a virtual learning session as part of the company’s In Focus Diversity Conversation Series.
Sands has partnered with the National Urban League, the nation’s largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization, to provide funding for the Campaign for Equity – the driver behind development of the NUL’s Urban League Empowerment Center (ULEC), a 400,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art mixed-use space in Harlem that will include the Urban League’s headquarters, conference center and Institute for Race, Equity, and Justice. Sands’ In Focus session during Black History Month presented an opportunity to leverage the company’s involvement with NUL by bringing Morial’s deep expertise on diversity and leadership topics to Team Members.
In addition to leading NUL, Morial has served as the highly successful and popular mayor of New Orleans, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a Louisiana state senator and a lawyer in New Orleans with an active, high-profile practice. He is viewed as a leading voice on the national stage for economic empowerment, education and housing.
During the Black History Month virtual learning session, Morial focused on a variety of topics, including the variables of systemic racism; ways to address and overcome inherent barriers; the social, business and customer relationship imperatives for keeping a strong focus on diversity initiatives; and the opportunities for a society and democracy that embraces multiethnicity as a unique differentiator.
Morial also shared insights from The Gumbo Coalition, a 2020 book on leadership lessons cultivated throughout his distinguished career. His primary message was that strong and effective leaders enable, empower and assist others to build the strength of the team, which ultimately enhances their institutions and advances the organization’s goals. In addition, he provided practical guidance on networking with intention to build relationships and form coalitions for success.
The In Focus Diversity Conversation Series is part of Sands’ diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program, which aims to remove barriers and create opportunities for underrepresented groups, while building a collaborative and integrated environment in the workplace and at its resorts. As part of its DEI commitment, Sands invests in national and local organizations focused on these goals through Sands Cares, the company’s community engagement program.
In addition to its support of the National Urban League, Sands Cares supports 100 Black Men Las Vegas to advance its mission to use the power of mentorship to inspire Black youth.
Throughout February, 100 Black Men Las Vegas provided a number of events and activities to recognize Black History Month. The nonprofit organization featured a Legacy Series on social media to recognize Las Vegas community contributors over the last 60 years, a virtual cooking class to nurture life skills among youth and Leadership the 100 Way, an event for high school juniors and seniors and University of Nevada, Las Vegas students featuring Major General Ondra L. Berry of the Nevada National Guard as moderator.
