Ten Cities Honored For Cultural Diversity By Nlc

Enter HTML Content.Ten cities have been cited for achievements in cultural diversity by the National League of Cities (NLC). The National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials of NLC presented the City Cultural Diversity Awards by population at a meeting earlier this year to:

— Phoenix, Ariz. (population more than 400,000) for its “City of Phoenix Diversity Task Force,” made up of 23 employees from 16 city departments and all levels to ensure that the city’s workforce reflects the diversity of Phoenix to better serve its population. Its recommendations have resulted in strengthened employee efforts to work as a team, heightened creativity in providing service to the community, and a city-wide embrace of diversity to meet residents’ needs.

— Stockton, Calif. (100,001-400,000) for its “Mayor’s Campaign for Racial Harmony and Fairness Task Force,” lead by Mayor Gary Podesto, which is a group of 26 top-level administrators or executives of school districts, religious agencies, city and county offices, business groups, and health organizations, established to address racial, cultural and religious tensions, and to create solutions for these issues.

— Lynwood, Calif. (25,000-100,000) for “We are One,” a policy-making philosophy and strategy formally adopted by Lynwood City Council in 2000 that reinvents the community’s approach to cultural diversity. Cultural programs and landmarks in Lynnwood reflect the people of diverse cultural backgrounds living in the community.

— Enterprise, Ala., (fewer than 25,000) for its “Multi-Cultural Club,” which was formed to provide an opportunity for people of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds to meet one another in a social setting. The meetings focus on either a country or ethnic group so that participants can learn about the history, contributions, and customs of other people.

Cities chosen as runners-up were:

— Cleveland, Ohio (more than 400,000);
— Chandler, Ariz. and Oakland, Calif. (100,001-400,000);
— Federal Way, Wash. (25,000-100,000);
— Bellwood, Ill. and Ozark, Ala. (fewer than 25,000).

National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials President E.W. Cromartie, II, mayor pro tem of Columbia, S.C., and Marian B. Tasco, councilwoman and majority whip of Philadelphia, Penn., who chaired this year’s awards competition, presented the awards.

“American cities reflect a melting pot of diversity; they’re the soul of this great nation. Each year the programs that we read about exemplify how great we’ve become, a stronger and better nation that embraces the wealth in the differences of people,” said Cromartie.

Runners up were selected for the following programs:

Cleveland, Ohio for its “Keeping Alive the Legacy, I have a Dream,” which showcases the efforts of Cleveland and surrounding communities to come together to celebrate civil rights through the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert and the Cultural Diversity Through Hoops program, which informs people of the benefits of diversity.

Oakland, Calif. because it was the first city in the nation to pass an Equal Access to Services Ordinance to provide equal access to government information and services, regardless of the primary language spoken, through translated public materials and bilingual personnel in public contact positions. The ordinance requires that the city provide language access through translated materials and bilingual personnel in public contact positions in the city.

Chandler, Ariz. for its “Human Relations Commission Community Education Initiative,” which works in public forums to educate the community about the cultural aspects of the city’s diverse population. Instead of focusing meetings on the business and public comment, the new chair suggested bringing in local speakers on diversity topics to draw in more of the community. That resulted in greater participation at the meetings.

Federal Way, Wash. for its Diversity Commission, established in 1992, which advises the city council on policy matters involving the community’s cultural and ethnic differences to ensure that these differences are considered in the decision-making process, “to help Federal Way in becoming a community which is united amidst diversity, where each individual is respected, equally valued, equally needed and equally cherished.”

Bellwood, Ill. for its “The Bellwood Neighborhood Watch School Fund Corporation,” which was founded because many of its youth between the ages of 15-20 were incarcerated at a cost of $30,000 to $40,000 a year. Community leaders thought a better use of those funds would be educating their youth. Consequently, they initiated a plan for “Replacing Crime with Education.” Under this plan, more than100 students of diverse backgrounds have benefited from this program.

Ozark, Ala. for its “2002 Race Equality Week,” which was implemented as part of the National League of Cities’ National Race Equality Week. Through the work of private citizens, city officials, and non-profits, programs were created to highlight the racial diversity in the Ozark community including a program that looks at African American and Caucasian settlers who brought prosperity and growth to the community.

Established in 1970 to advocate the interests of African American officials, the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials works to increase their effectiveness in the development, influence, and implementation of public policies.

The presentation of the diversity awards was established in 1995. Winners are selected from a pool of applicants in the United States that promote diversity in municipalities.