Urban League of Greater Madison’s Young Professionals: Quietly Making an Impact on Madison’s Black Community (Part 2 of 2)
Above: Cameron Anderson (lr), YP Vice-President Andrea White and YP Membership Chair Deja Mason Below: YP President Kayla Conklin
by Jonathan Gramling
For many years, Madison has been a revolving door for Black professionals with young people coming to school and getting their first professional job before moving on to larger markets or even home-grown young people who leave to go to college and never return preferring to stay in places like Atlanta.
But as Madison continues to boom, especially in the tech industry, young Black professionals are coming to take advantage of the opportunities. But if they stay depends on finding a rewarding “after work” life in Madison. The Urban League of Greater Madison’s Young Professionals Group is working to fill that void.
On some levels, YP as the members affectionately call it, is a city within a city. It is a source of companionship.
“I would say that we’ve done everything from club core groups to YP pairing where new parents or expectant parents and it is personal development where we can have a group of parents,” said Andrea White, the YP vice-president. “We have a religious group, YP for Jesus. We have an YP HR Group where HR professionals support one another and give advice. And then we have our personal and professional development committee that is different than everything I just named. We had a health and wellness summit where we went over financials and mental and physical well-being. I could go on.
And due to the professional diversity of the group, YP is almost a one-stop shop to get your personal and professional needs met.
“We have a list for volunteer opportunities,” White said. “Even if we as a chapter are not going to do something, but we hear about it, we list it. Being able to network internally in our chapter has been very beneficial for people. I know of someone who was helping out with the Unity Picnic and got a new job by getting connected. I would say we are our own Angi’s List, but even better. Around the gala time, everybody pulls their weight. People do hair. We have make-up artists. We have nail technicians. If someone was to move to YP City, they would have everything that they needed.”
The demands of people’s 9 to 5 job can fluctuate according to the season or even the growth cycle of the company they work for. Cameron Anderson, a YP member, appreciates the flexibility of membership in YP.
“YP is truly like a family to me,” Anderson said. “Sometimes family members may have arguments or disagreements, but they are always able to get together and be there for one another. One thing that I really enjoy about the organization is whatever you put in, you’re able to get out of it. So if you want to be very active, being involved in everything, you are able to do that. If you want to take a step back and come in as you can, you can do that as well. I really appreciate that aspect of it. I am really appreciative of the open arms that people have welcomed me with and allow me to invite other people into the space as well. It is a true family. I really appreciate the love and support that everyone gives, whether that is a birthday shout out or recognition of any elevation in life, whether someone received a new job promotion or got a certificate or they just graduated. It’s celebrated someway, somehow similar to how a family would do so.”
“My blood family does not live here,” Mason added. “Being able to find a group of people who may not have grown up the same way that I did, but we have similarities in life, either in terms of the upward mobility of how we see our lives as we continue to grow older, how we envision moving through Madison as a collective or individually speaking what that looks like as well. It’s awesome to be able to have a group of people as a sounding board before you decide to make a new step either within Madison or even if we decide to leave because there is probably going to be a YP chapter wherever we decide to move to. So there is still that built in community and network of people. On top of that, our dues are really low for the entire year as a professional organization. That’s also extremely appealing for people to know that they pay $50 and it allows them access to the national Urban League network, the Greater Madison Urban League network as well as our YP network. We have member-exclusive events like our General Body meetings or are able to get box seats at a sporting event. We are very much so family and community oriented, not only internally, but also how we view the work that we are doing.”
YP reflects the talent of color that Madison is increasingly attracting and that excellence is then reflected in what YP has been able to achieve on a regional and national level.
“This year, we were recognized as the National Urban League Young Professional Central Region Chapter of Excellence,” said Kayla Conklin, the YP president. “Part of my role as president is to track all of the data and metrics for all of the events that we put on and all of the programs and communities that we interact with. And then at the end of year, I submit an awards packet, which documents all of the things that we’ve done. I submit that and we go up against all of the other chapters in the country for different awards for the things that we are doing. That’s not why we do the work at all. But it is really nice to go to our national conference every year and see what recognitions we get for the stuff that we are doing back at home.”
And the recognition of that excellence extends to the local level as well.
“When Madison 365 had their 50 Most Influential Leaders, we had both Black and Latino members get recognized, which was great,” said Deja Mason, YP membership committee chair. “It’s always awesome to see the accomplishments of what our members are able to do in their own professional and personal lives. Having a space like YP where you are able to cultivate those skills and emphasize them not only for the things that you know that you bring to the table, but also giving you space and room for you to grow in areas where you may not have had the most experience in. I know a number of people who have taken on leadership roles within our chapter who may not have had the opportunity to do that before. And it has led them to get promotions or higher-paying jobs. It’s a reflection of the experience they have had while in the chapter.”
While YP is enjoying its current level of success and achievement, it is also laying the groundwork to continue that work into the future.
“One of the things that we have done intentionally this year is we’ve had two strategic leadership retreats with the leadership team to really make sure that we are not only doing all of this work, but that we are also building the infrastructure so that it can be sustainable for the future,” Conklin said. “I’m not always going to be president. And I have the privilege and the honor of being trained and supported a lot so that I could do the role. And I have that mentor to lean on even to this day. I want to make sure the organization has that and it continues to grow and have success.”
And as with most organizations, it is important to celebrate the success that the members’ hard work produces. YP’s is coming up.
“Our annual Gala is Saturday, December 7th at the Sheraton off of John Nolen Drive,” Mason said. “The event is our annual fundraiser. This year, it;s titled Ebony & Elegance: An Icy Affair. This is our third year of doing this gala. It’s getting bigger, which is beautiful. We have around 200 people who attend every year. It’s a seated dinner and a silent auction. We have a program where we highlight and emphasize the work of young professionals in our community. We’ll also be promoting more information about that soon in terms of awards and nominating people. We highlight what we have done as a chapter in getting more people involved in the movement and wanting to see our work continue to grow. It’s also a really fun space. We have a DJ and a saxophonist during the cocktail hour this year. Then we’ll have a dance party where we can kick it at the end of the night and relax and release.”
Come celebrate with YP. There is a lot to celebrate.