Hunt’s legacy

To join the Washington-based National League of Cities’ (NLC) Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities, an initiative led by NLC President Jim Hunt, cities submit resolutions affirming their dedication to the task. In return, NLC provides signs to each community as a constant reminder to residents and visitors of the cities’ continual efforts to welcome everyone to participate in civic life.

But, the partnership is more than a signature on a page and a sign installation. The real — and most integral — work is the daily challenge to eliminate barriers that prevent some groups from participating. “If you ever get to the point where you say, ‘We don’t need anyone else at the table because we’ve included everyone,’ then you’re not inclusive at that point,” Hunt says.

Cities across the country are implementing or continuing unique programs as part of the partnership. In Selma, Ala., Mayor James Perkins created a Community Outreach Department to oversee the new program Trust Build. Government officials visit residences daily to promote city services, destroying the disconnect Perkins says residents feel from their government. “We’re bridging the gap and trying to make our community more accessible to the people,” Perkins says. “By doing that, we feel the spirit of inclusion will be better felt.”

For Brighton, Colo., Mayor Janice Pawlowski, inclusiveness means making her family-oriented community more welcoming by continuing city events such as a cultural festival, a military welcome for service members returning from duty, a youth commission and neighborhood barbecues. “Inclusive, to me, should not be an effort but an everyday attitude,” Pawlowski says. “It’s a value that should be naturally demonstrated.”

To date, 120 cities and towns have joined the partnership. For some, the effects of the partnership have not yet been revealed. Hunt, who witnessed the struggle for inclusiveness in his own community, however, sees the lasting results of his work each day. “There’s not a day [that] goes by that I don’t see some kind of little indication of what our community was and where it’s come in these last several years,” Hunt says. “With that, you just kind of feel like this ought to be shared.”