The National League of Cities (NLC) today recognized six cities for implementing programs that enhance and promote cultural diversity in their communities. Presented at the 2017 Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C., the City Cultural Diversity Awards recognize municipal programs that encourage citizen involvement and honor cities that develop creative and effective programs to improve and promote cultural diversity through a collaborative process with city officials, community leaders and residents.
“The strength of our nation lies in the diversity of our cities and towns,” said National League of Cities (NLC) President Matt Zone, Councilmember, Cleveland, Ohio. “Across the country, municipal officials are taking the lead on creating policies that are more accessible to and more inclusive of their diverse residents.”
Cities honored for 2017 are: Morrisville, N.C.; Decatur, Ga.; Rock Hill, S.C.; Westminster, Colo.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Aurora, Colo.
The City Cultural Diversity Awards Program was established in 1995 by the National Black Caucus of Local Elected officials (NBC-LEO) to promote cultural diversity in community governance through citizen and community participation. Winning cities are selected by guest judges representative of NLC’s constituency groups and are grouped according to population.
The annual awards are presented at the Diversity Awards Breakfast, which is co-sponsored by the five NLC constituency groups: Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials (APAMO); Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Local Officials (LGBTLO); Hispanic Elected Local Officials (HELO); the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) and Women in Municipal Government (WIMG).
50,000 and under population:
First Place: East Meets West Festival, Morrisville, N.C.
Second Place: Better Together Initiative, Decatur, Ga.
50,001-200,000 population:
First Place: “Liberty and Justice for All” Freedom Walkway’s Ode to Civil Rights, Rock Hill, S.C.
Second Place: Westminster Inclusivity Board, Westminster, Colo.
200,001-500,000:
First Place: BIC Newcomers Pipeline, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Second Place: Office of International and Immigrant Affairs, Aurora, Colo.
The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. www.nlc.org
