The Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League

Happy birthday to one of our civic engagement co-chairs, Richard Okello!

Thank you for your dedication to The Exchange and to the betterment of your community. We appreciate all of your hard work and hope you have an amazing birthday!

We’re running it back! Point of order part 2️⃣!

Witness firsthand what goes into local governance and decision-making processes by attending a civic board meeting. This valuable learning opportunity will give you insight and understanding of the complexities of community issues and the various perspectives involved. As involved citizens we will be challenged to think critically about our community and civic engagement while actively participating in our communities.

🗓️ Mark your calendars for Monday, September 9th

📍Flanner House

⏰ 6-8 pm

Times are unfortunately getting less safe and that means we all need to be aware and know what to do to stay safe. Our general body meeting this coming Monday at the Indianapolis Urban League building will give us all useful tips of what things to look out for to protect us from becoming victims of human trafficking. We’ll also learn from self- defense tactics to keep us safe while we’re out and about.

See you on Monday August 19th at 6pm!

The Indianapolis Business Journal’s 20 in Their Twenties recognizes central Indiana’s up-and-coming leaders in business, the arts and culture, philanthropy and community service.

The Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League congratulations our member Olivia West for being one of this year’s IBJ honorees!!

Keep doing what you’re doing and being a light in every space you walk into, Olivia!

The Stanley K Lacey Executive Leadership Series began almost 50 years ago to honor the memory of Lacey, a recognized leader in our city.

This nearly year-long program is highly competitive and aims to connect, educate, inspire, and mobilize young leaders in their professions.

The Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League is proud to congratulate four of our very own members on being accepted into this year’s class!! Congratulations to:

Lateva Woolfork
Greg Stowers Jr.
Burnell Grimes Jr.
Michael Lofton

School is back in session this Thursday, August 15 with this NULYP cross-country collab! Affiliate chapter from across the country will be on one Zoom call to prepare our young Black professionals to ace the MCAT, LSAT, and NCLEX exams! 📚

Registration is FREE and the link can be found here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYldeGgqT0pGdXTdReM-YoK4DPH6yDgzQ2z #/registration

The Exchange is partnering with other YP chapters across the country to bring our members this awesome virtual event! Join us for an event on mastering the LSAT, MCAT, and NCLEX exams.

This presentation will feature guest speakers and aims to guide young Black professionals on successfully passing the LSAT, MCAT, and NCLEX exams. Join us virtually and embark on your journey towards success!

Date: Thursday, August, 15, 2024
Time: 7 pm EST
Zoom link registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYldeGgqT0pGdXTdReM-YoK4DPH6yDgzQ2z #/registration

After having the month of July off to rest and reset, your Exchange team is back at it this month with new programming!

Human trafficking rates are on the rise and we want to inform the public on warning signs of dangerous situations and ways to keep yourself and others safe.

Our August general body meeting, Stranger Danger, will be on Monday, August 19th at the Indianapolis Urban League building at 6 pm! Join us and bring friends with you so even more people can get information to stay safe! ⚠️

Last week, The Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League won two awards for the work we did in 2023!

Our chapter won the Join Week award for the Central Region because of the events we hosted and the new members we welcomed into The Exchange.

We also won the Advocacy award for the Central Region because of the work of our various committees and what we’ve been able to accomplish in the Indianapolis community.

We were also honored to accept the award for Vice President of the Year! Our amazing VP, Twanyea Donaldson has stepped up and showed up for The Exchange team and our members and has been dedicated to being a servant leader to everyone she works with. We are so appreciative of the hard work she and the chapter has done!

*The first of multiple recap posts from National Urban League Conference 2024

Last week your Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League crew traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to the National Urban League Annual Conference. Each conference is special but this one was especially so because it’s the 25th anniversary of the Young Professionals auxiliary of NUL.

We “let the good times roll” while hearing from the President and CEO of the National Urban League, Marc Morial and others during the plenary sessions and luncheons.

Our time in NOLA with other chapter YPs and affiliates has energized us, connected us to each other and the mission of this movement, and energized us to keep doing this work for you.

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The Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League wishes everyone a happy Independence Day! We acknowledge the liberties that we have, but also know that there is still work to be done so that “liberty and justice for all” is achieved.

We’re thankful for the National Urban League and its affiliates for not shying away from the hard work it will take to reach this goal and having tenacity in upholding the pillars that guide our organization.

Summertime is here and your Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League will be taking a much needed break for the month of July. We have loved engaging with you, holding general body meetings and social events, and working for you the first half of this year! We’re excited to head to New Orleans for annual conference to learn about the collective vision for and bring that back to Indy! Don’t worry, we won’t be gone for long, we’ll be back in August with more programming!

Happy Monday! Today’s Motivational Monday
comes from the theme of an amazing book titled,
“Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success” by John C. Maxwell. In life, the question is not if you will have problems, but how you are going to deal with your problems. If the possibility of failure were erased, what would you attempt to achieve? The essence of man is imperfection. Know that you’re going to make mistakes. The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from one who does. Wake up and realize this: Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success.
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Drop your thoughts! As a Young Professional-What would you attempt to achieve if you knew that failure wasn’t possible? How much failure are YOU willing to pay to achieve success? Whats a failure that you can transform into a win for your own success?

Happy Monday! Today’s Motivational Monday comes from the theme of an amazing book titled, “Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success” by John C. Maxwell. In life, the question is not if you will have problems, but how you are going to deal with your problems. If the possibility of failure were erased, what would you attempt to achieve? The essence of man is imperfection. Know that you're going to make mistakes. The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from one who does. Wake up and realize this: Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success.

Drop your thoughts! As a young professional—What would you attempt to achieve if you knew that failure wasn’t possible? How much failure are YOU willing to pay to achieve success? Whats a failure that you can transform into a win for your own success?

Happy Monday! Today’s Motivational Monday
comes from the theme of an amazing book titled,
“Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success” by John C. Maxwell. In life, the question is not if you will have problems, but how you are going to deal with your problems. If the possibility of failure were erased, what would you attempt to achieve? The essence of man is imperfection. Know that you’re going to make mistakes. The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from one who does. Wake up and realize this: Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success.
Drop your thoughts! As a Young Professional—What would you attempt to achieve if you knew that failure wasn’t possible? How much failure are YOU willing to pay to achieve success? Whats a failure that you can transform into a win for your own success?

A HUGE happy birthday shout out to our Madame Vice President, Twanyea Donaldson!

The Exchange thanks you for all of the work you do to help make sure that this YP affiliate continues to serve our community. Your dedication does bring go unnoticed and we appreciate everything you do!

Wishing you an amazing birthday!!

Today we celebrate Juneteenth, a powerful reminder of freedom, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of equality. On June 19, 1865, the last enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned of their liberation—over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. As we honor this day, let’s reflect on our history, recognize the strength of those who fought for freedom, and commit to building a future rooted in justice and unity.

Happy Juneteenth! 🔴⚫️🟢🟡

We had an amazing evening hearing from several Black men about what it’s like being in their shoes. This group talked about their journey to mental wellness which included overcoming the stigma around talking about their feelings. They shared that being vulnerable is actually a super power and how important it is to lean on your support system and to check on your people.

A huge thank you to our panelists for sharing their beautiful and individual experiences with us tonight!! Remember Black men, you deserve to take up space, feel heard and supported, and not have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Today, we take a moment to reflect and appreciate all of the sacrifices that have been made from our fathers and/father-figures. You can usually tell this person by one key aspect—they’re the one who’s there when the going gets tough. When they’re not holding your hand, it’s because they always have your back. If your father is no longer with you, we hope that today you feel peace and comfort in knowing how much of any impact they’ve made on others through you.

From our family to yours, Happy Father’s Day, from the Exchange at the IUL!

Congratulations to our 2024 Fellows in the Spotlight from The Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League.

We know that all of the responsibilities of life that men have to carry can be heavy. We know that oftentimes men aren’t given the space and permission to be vulnerable with themselves and others. The Exchange wants to create space for the men in our community to feel heard.

June is men’s health month and our general body meeting is centered around giving men the time and space they deserve to share how they’re feeling and for us to listen and support them.

Join us next Monday June 17th at Martin University for this panel discussion. We encourage you to invite men in your life to join us and share their experiences if they want and help give guidance on what it means to actually be your brother’s keeper.

Happy Monday! Carmelo Anthony once said “Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams or wake up and chase them.” so what decision have you made TODAY to propel your future?

It’s a Motivational Monday with the Exchange and we want to hear from YOU! What are some of your recent successes and accomplishments? We want to hear from you! Do you have some insightful and encouraging words for your fellows? We want to hear it too!

All summer long—We will be sharing great stories, quotes, and other testimonials of greatness within our network, it’s the perfect time of the met to take a step back and reflect on all of our hardwork.

Congratulations to Class 8 of The Exchange Leadership Cohort!! At today’s Equal Opportunity Day Luncheon, class 8 was recognized for the hard work they’ve been putting in over the past several months. This luncheon also highlighted other initiatives that the Indianapolis Urban League supports like Project Ready and the food distributions that have helped hundreds of families since they’ve began.

While the official time of the cohort is coming to a close, The Exchange is so looking forward to the continued work that this class will do in their respective fields!

Sunday Funday picnic at the park was a great time! We enjoyed being able to kick off summer, celebrate everyone’s wins, listen to music, and start the new week off right ☀️

The Exchange is excited to keep creating spaces where young professionals in the city can network, relax, and just be. We’ve got more in store for you, Indy! This was only the beginning!

Happy Pride Month Everyone! The Exchange at the IUL proudly supports and celebrates the LGBTQ+ community. We the Exchange, are committed to fostering diverse and inclusive environments that make every person feel respected and welcome. As young professionals seeking to better the world in every possible way— We embrace members of the LGBTQ+ community with love, acceptance, and support always! 🌈

Don’t forget ‼️ this Sunday June 2nd we’re having our Exchange Picnic in the Park!

It’s BYOE (bring your own everything)
- blankets
- snacks
- drinks

But most importantly bring yourself and some friends/ family and let’s enjoy this beautiful summer weather!

We’ll see you at Highland Park at 6 pm THIS SUNDAY June 2 ☀️✌🏾

Huge thank you to Cargo Streetwear Boutique for partnering with us yesterday for our speed networking event! It’s important to help retain Indianapolis’ Black talent and make them feel welcome here, that’s why The Exchange is all about connecting young professionals to each other!

We look forward to having more events like this that bring us together in unique ways!

Now wouldn’t it be a shame to let all of these beautiful summer days ☀️ go to waste? Let’s keep the summer fun going, join us for an Exchange picnic, quality time, and relaxation!

BYOE (Bring Your Own Everything 🧺 ) as we come together and just celebrate summer, our successes, and our careers as young professionals. Now that you’ve got the info, all there’s left to do is to meet us there! And of course, the entire family is invited!

We’ll be located at Highland Park (1100 East New York Street, Indianapolis, IN) on Sunday, June 2nd from 6pm-Sunset! 😎